Exceptional Skill
by HenriaSownbinder
Summary: Ginny and Harry suspect something is wrong with their youngest and only daughter, Lily Luna Potter. After getting confirmation, how do the Potter children cope? By banding together as brothers and sister. They each have an exceptional skill that they possess. Even if there is an annoying (At least that is Lily's opinion) Malfoy being a distraction.
1. Loving with Ginerva Molly Potter

**Prologue: Loving with Ginerva Molly Potter**

"Mum, I think there is something about Lily." Ginny looked down at her tea. She was pretending the steam coming off of it was more interesting than the conversation.

"Is she alright? Do we need to bring her to St. Mungo's?" Molly halted her bustling to turn concerned eyes to her red headed daughter. Ginny waved a hand.

"No, nothing like that." she let out a breathe, "I'm pretty positive Lily is a squib. There hasn't been any accidental magic going on."

"Oh, well, have you thought of taking her to St. Mungo's? Maybe they can run some tests. We need to know now, right? I believe Harry once said that muggle children start school as early as four." Molly continued with preparing lunch as if Ginny had told her it was raining.

"Yeah, we've discussed that." the younger witch eyed her mother cautiously, "Aren't you going to tell me to get rid of her?"

"Ginerva Molly Potter, if you so much as have a notion to drop that child off at some orphanage, I will blast your name from our family books! So help me child!" Molly had turned back around and was pointing an accusatory finger at her daughter. Ginny paled. The 'mum voice' still had an effect on her.

"No! She is my daughter! I would never think about that!" Ginny felt her own mother bear instincts kick in, "I love her. I just wanted to ask your opinion on the matter." she felt foolish that she suspected her mother of being anything but kind and understanding.

"She is my granddaughter and I would love her even if she were a troll." Ginny scrunched her nose and Molly laughed, "Maybe not a troll, but you understand." Ginny nodded her head.

"Will the rest of the family love her?" Ginny's voice was soft and sounded miserable. Molly took a step forward and gently took her daughters face between her soft hands.

"Ginny love, if anyone from my family has anything negative to say about anyone from my family, I will be the first and last person they talk to." Ginny shivered. Molly was downright scary.


	2. Meeting Lily Luna Potter

**Meeting Lily Luna Potter**

The proper tests from St. Mungo's confirmed what Ginny and Harry's suspicions. Ginny had to be restrained by Harry to keep from breaking the Healer's nose when he started naming orphanages for squibs. Needless to say, his name was noted in the as 'to never see this patient again'.

Molly was true to her word. When Ginny and Harry announced that Lily Luna Potter was indeed special, Lily's uncle Percy Weasley had a thing or two to say about family image and pride. Molly rounded on him and yelled him into a dizzy spell. Ginny got her say in the matter by breaking his nose. No one else had anything to say.

No one really needed to say anything. They all loved Lily. She was vivacious and wonderfully bright. Not a single family member ever held her against her lack of magic because she had her own magic.

Lily Luna Potter could make you laugh.

Her brothers always loved her. They never poked fun at her being a squib. They may have teased her for being a girl or being shorter or being annoying, but never because she didn't accidently make an object float or catch on fire. Her lack of magic just made the boys feel the need to protect her.

So, Lily started school as a muggle child would. Ginny would walk her to school and back home. Lily would tell her all about her friends and all about her studies. Ginny would listen and ask questions. Everything a loving and caring mother would do. Because that is what Ginny Potter was.

"Mum, what is this?" Lily had stopped in front of a window. Behind the window were children punching and kicking the air. Looks of determination and concentration were etched into their tiny faces. Their voices were calling out commands in unison.

Lily was riveted.

"Lils honey, do you want to learn to do that?" Ginny asked the curious, little red head.

"Mother, may I?" her voice was soft with amazement and excitement. The prospect of being able to attend these classes was almost too much to bear.

"Let's go see what we need to do to sign you up." Ginny kissed her daughters temple and led her into the door marked Muay Thai.

And Lily Luna Potter excelled.

* * *

James! Albus and Lily! Time to go!" Lily heard her mother call up the stairs.

"Coming!" two voices chorused in reply.

"Coming, mother!" Lily called a second later.

The Potters were getting ready to take James and Albus to King Cross Station for their fourth and third year respectfully. Lily liked to go to see her cousins off as well. All of her red headed cousins. Even the ones without red hair. She would miss them all. So, she always saw them off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Even though this would have been her year to go.

"Boys, your trunks all packed?" their mother asked one more time.

"Yes mum!" James whined.

"Yes, mother." Albus responded knowing that she was just worried.

"Jamie, be sure you didn't forget you underwear again!" Lily called as she ran out of the house towards her father. He was waiting by the family car.

"You little..." James ran after her. Ginny heaved a deep sigh and lifted his trunk.

"James! Lily!" Harry called after the warring siblings, "Control yourselves!"

Lily jumped nimbly away from James. He took one more swipe at his sister before he ceased his attack. Lily giggled and jumped into his arms for a hug. James returned it and mussed her hair.

"Come on children, into the car." Ginny ordered as she put James' trunk into the back. Albus followed her example.

The children piled into the car. Lily was in the middle with Albus and James on either side. She automatically leaned her head on Albus' shoulder. Albus laid his head ontop of hers and James leaned his body over to rest on Lily's shoulder. They knew that had an hour to nap.

Harry drove. He and Ginny listened to the radio softly. Their children displayed the love they had always hoped they would. It melted their hearts that those three could be so different yet so close.

"Darlings, we are here." Ginny said gently. Lily was the first to stir.

"Five more minutes." Lily moaned, "Albus is a comfortable pillow."

"Really, 'cause you make a horrid one." James muttered, rubbing a sore spot on his neck.

"You say that every year I come with you." Lily responded as they started piling out. She stretched from fingertips to toes. She shook out the last remnants of their nap.

"I'm waiting for you to get fatter so you're squishy." Lily responded by punching him in the arm. James groaned.

"Lily " her father warned. Albus began chuckling.

"Sorry dad." she said sweetly. Looking up at him with her brilliant hazel eyes. Harry sighed and shook his head. She could get away with murder with those eyes.

"To the platform you lot!" Ginny ordered, shooting a glare at Harry for falling for the act. He just shrugged his shoulders innocently.

The family maneuvered through the crowded station. The two boys pushed trollies with trunks and boxes. Lily carried an owl cage with no owl. Their owl knew just where to go. He had been doing it for four years now.

As soon as they passed through the barrier, Lily heard the squeals of her favorite cousin, Lucy Weasley. Her dark auburn locks bounced as she ran to her. They enveloped each other in tight hugs; Lily making sure the owl cage did not hit her cousin.

"It's been ages!" Lucy exclaimed.

"It's been a month." Lily deadpanned. Lucy rolled her eyes at her overly technical cousin.

"It's called exaggeration, Lils!" Lucy started leading her over to the rest of her family.

Lily greeted her older cousin, Molly Weasley, Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey Weasley with embraces for each. They all asked if she were excited to start secondary school. After her enthusiastic yes, she wished her cousins well and promised to owl. Quick pecks on the cheeks and she left to join her family for good bye hugs.

As she neared her parents and brothers, she noticed a shock of white blonde hair in the midst of the circle. That particular shade belonged to James' best friend, Scorpius Malfoy.

"Hey Jamie, you almost ready to go?" Lily asked quietly. Her eyes were stinging and her heart ached. Lily really hated this part.

"Why aren't you coming?" the blonde fourth year asked, confused.

"I'm a squib. Didn't my brother dearest tell his best mate that his sister dearest is non-magical?" she replied, a confident smirk replaced the sadness momentarily. Scorpius was taken aback by her brashness. James shifted uncomfortably.

"N-no.." he stuttered, unsure why he was intimidated by an eleven year old.

"Lily Luna!" her mother snapped, "You behave yourself. Now, apologize to Scorpius here for making him uncomfortable."

"Aw, sweetheart, she doesn't have to." Lily was trying to get herself out of trouble again with her eyes. It was working on her father. He took a chance and looked at his wife. Her withering glare made him swallow any remorse for his daughter, "Do as your mother says, love." Lily rolled her eyes. Her father was so easily manipulated.

"I'm sorry Mister Scorpius Malfoy for making you uncomfortable with the truth." her sarcasm was so light, her mother almost didn't hear it. Almost.

"Lily..." she ground out.

"I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable. I should have taken your feelings into account and not been so harsh in revealing my non-magical self."

"Better." Ginny gave James a kiss on the cheek which he proceeded to wipe off.

"Mum, don't!" James whined.

"James Sirius..." his father warned.

Albus walked over to his mother and gave her a hug. She kissed the top of his head. After quick hugs from their father, the two boys stood in front of their baby sister.

"Have fun in secondary school. I know you will kick some arse." Albus stated with a sad smile. She returned his sad smile with one of her own.

"I hope so." she said without her usual confidence.

"Hey firecracker, you will. Because I have seen it." James said dramatically. He squeezed his eyes closed and placed a finger in the middle of his forehead like he was receiving a vision, "And you will also see us during Christmas hols! Along with Mister Malfoy!" Lily smacked his arm lightly.

"Jamie, quit your play acting and give me a hug." Lily laughed.

"Jamie? I will have to remember that one." a voice came from her left. Hot hazel eyes turned towards Scorpius.

"You will do no such thing. He is my Jamie, no one else's. Non-special folk call him James." her tone was cold. The blonde raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I'll see you on the train, year? Save me a seat?" James touched his friend's shoulder. Scorpius gave him a nod. He left to board the train. James turned to his sister.

"No. I don't want to hear it." Lily held up a hand to stop him from scolding her, "He tried to take something of mine. It hurts enough that I can't go off on an adventure with you and Albie. He is not going to be taking my nickname for you." tears lined her lids.

"Firecracker, no tears." James ran a hand through his messy hair, "I was going to say that I will forbid him from calling me Jamie, I promise." he pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing the top of her bright red locks. Lily sighed in content.

"I love you." she mumbled into his chest.

"I love you too. Kick ass." he gave her another kiss. They broke apart.

"Can I have mine, now?" Albus spoke up finally. He didn't prefer confrontation, but he couldn't let anyone hurt his sister. Although, they would have a tough go of it.

"Most certainly." she giggled. She jumped and circled her arm around his neck, tightly holding him. He gave her a kiss on her temple.

"I love you, little one." he murmured into her hair.

"I love you too, Albie." she replied into his shoulder. They separated.

"Alright boys, to the train." Ginny pushed gently.

"Love you mum, dad." Albus called from the train.

"Love you guys!" James followed him. They both waved. Their parents waved back. Lil wiggled her fingers weakly.

"Come on, love. Let's get some ice cream." Harry came up behind her and placed a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Then we will go and get your uniforms sorted out."


	3. Traveling with James Potter

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is short. It just ended where it needed to end. I hope you enjoy! Keep the reviews coming! I would like to thank bia 13 for thir review! They keep me trying.**

**Henny, that lucky Penny!**

* * *

**Traveling with James Potter**

"Is it safe to talk to you mate, or do I need a signed permission slip?" a distinct sneer permeated James' ears.

"Don't start, Scorp." James muttered in reply. He lifted his trunk to the luggage rack. Albus followed his lead.

"No, let us stat. How come you never divulged that your sister is a squib? Wouldn't that be something to let your friend know before he let himself make a fool of himself?" Scorpius crossed his arms in front of his chest. James took note of the defensive position.

"She gets protective because it actually hurts her to watch us leave. She won't admit it, so she takes it out on other people. This year, it is you." Albus calmly cut off James' retort.

"It is just a name." the blonde frowned. Albus shook his head.

"It is her name. She called him 'Jamie' for the first time when she was three." Albus was still calm and cool, "Want to know what else happened when she was three?"

"She coined your nickname?" Scorpius' response dripped with sarcasm.

"She found out she wasn't like Albus and I." James corrected softly. Scorpius shifted nervously.

"She actually coined my nickname when she was four." Albus said evenly, "I'm going to find Lucy. She won't try to talk about Lily like she is a negative being. You better set him straight, James." and Albus left the compartment.

James sighed as he sat down, the nap from the car right already feeling like a distant memory.

He liked Scorpius Malfoy. He was a great friend while at Hogwarts. Both being sorted into Gryffindor, they shared a dorm room. It was a course of nature for them to become friends. And no matter how much his father insisted Scorpius Malfoy did not have a judgmental bone in his body.

As James Potter stared at his best friend, he felt conflicted. His heart still hurting from having to say good bye to his sister, now there was an added pain from Scorpius feeling like he betrayed him by not trusting him with the knowledge of his sister. How is he supposed to explain that Lily Potter hated when her brothers told people when she had a perfectly working mouth to do so herself? How is he supposed to explain that made them promise not to tell and talk about it until she could tell the person herself?

The beginning, James decided.

"When Lily was three, mum and dad noticed she didn't burst objects into fire when she got frustrated. They noticed objects did not levitate when she was overly excited." James ran a steady hand through his dark hair, "So, they took her to St. Mungo's. They verified what my parents already knew.

"My Uncle Percy ended up being a real prat. We kids were upstairs up to our own devices when Grandmum Molly started screaming at him about loyalties and a sense of family. The adults didn't know, but we all listened while the argued."

"Molly and Lucy's dad?"

"Yeah. He has a fuzzy view on family and whatnot." James smirked, "I have to ask, how do you view squibs?" James lounged back on the bench, embodying an air of relaxation. His only tell that he was tense was his crossed arms over his chest.

"Contrary to popular belief, Potter, a new generation of Malfoys are being taught equality and non-prejudice. I would never judge your sister about her magic, or lack thereof. She means so much to you. The stories you have told of her have always had a certain loving quality about them." Scorpius dropped his last name to let James know he was very upset with him, "The only qualms I have with your sister is her snarky attitude and sense of being better than everyone else." James chuckled.

"Ah, yes. Well, stand in line. She has that effect on everyone she does not trust." James let his arms drop, "You two can hash that out during Christmas."

Scorpius groaned. His torso fell back against the bench. He rubbed a hand on his forehead in agitation.

"I'm sick. I cannot go with you to your house." he coughed for effect. James just laughed and rose from the seat.

"Want to check in with my cousins? I didn't get to see them on the platform." James opened the door and stepped out, waiting for an answer.

"Sure, I could tease some gingers." his small smirk told James that he was partially joking. James just rolled his eyes.

"Come on then."

The two Gryffindors explored the train, peering into the compartments. Their venture proved fruitful towards the back of the train. They found a loud compartment with many different shades of red hair. Scorpius looked like he was in heaven.

Until a particularly hot tempered ginger stomped up to him with murder in her bright blue eyes.

"What do you want?" her voice was like ice. Scorpius took a half step back.

"Leave him be, Luce." Albus had gotten up with his fiery cousin and was now holding her hand, pulling her towards himself. She ignored his words and actions.

"Thinking of all the names you can call her to degrade her sense of self-worth? Make her feel like the filthy squib that she is?" James stepped between them, his anger barely contained.

"Lucy, maybe you need to go to the loo and splash some water on your face." his tone was calm. Albus pulled her hand harder. Lucy still resisted.

"No! I'm going to rearrange his face!" her hands shook with fury.

"Look, Weasley, the only problem I have with your cousin dearest is her snarky attitude." Scorpius drawled, "Now get out of my face."

"Come on, sissy. You don't know what he really said." Molly rose from the bench and took her sister's hand from Albus, "Let's go find the Jordan twins." and she gently pulled her younger sister down the hallway.

Scorpius visibly relaxed. Angry women were not his specialty. They threw his heart out of rhythm and set his teeth on edge.

"Look, Scor, let's sit with my less possessive cousins and talk about it." James tugged on his sleeve, "My brother promises to play nice and not start any more drama. Which, I should jinx you for. Albus, that was unnecessary." James reprimanded. Albus just smiled and shrugged.

"I'm still curious why no one mentioned it to me. Molly and you have been around me for the past four years." the blonde took a seat next to Fred Weasley.

"Oh, that's easy." Albus smirked. That smirk reminded Scorpius of his dad, Draco Malfoy, when he was in school. _Must be a Slytherin quality_, "She told us once that we cannot speak for her when she has a perfectly working mouth. She may have ended that conversation with giving us black eyes as reminders."

"Why do you two let her push you around like that? I understand not roughing her up, but you can't be pushovers." that whole compartment burst into laughter.

"They don't let her walk all over them." Rose Weasley said gently. Scorpius was very visibly frustrated, "She has a way about her."

"She doesn't like it when we discuss her life without her present." Albus looked around to his family. Rose's cheeks colored with embarrassment.

"Why?" Scorpius looked at James. Albus was starting to tick him off.

"She doesn't need anyone to speak for her." James responded quietly. Scorpius mulled his words in mouth carefully.

"Fine. I'll wait until Christmas." the blonde reasoned, mostly to himself.

"I thought you were ill?" James teased.

"I took a Pepper-Up Potion." Scorpius shrugged. James doubled over laughing.


	4. Standing Up With Albus Potter

_**A/N: I am so sorry. I know it took me forever to update this one, but I have been exploring the wonders of unhappy marriage. I have been distracted and pretty down. But! Never fear, I always pick myself up and dust off the dirt! I have been noticing that I am clearing the fog of my own problems. Ideas are coming to me once again. So, hopefully I can keep this steady stream of writing. It also doesn't help that I keep reading fan fiction to begin with. I read too much all the time. And I apologize. Sincerely. :D **_

_**I do hope you enjoy. And don't be shy about leaving reviews. They make me smile even if you can't see that. If I could video chat with everyone, I would so you could see me read your reviews. I get this stupid grin on my face and I get all giddy. My kids look at me like I am insane! :D**_

_**Henny, that lucky Penny!**_

* * *

**Standing Up With Albus Potter**

"Shut your filthy mouth, Zabini!" Albus hissed. The normally calm, auburn haired youth was lightly fingering his wand. Torran Zabini's raised eyebrow was his only show of surprise.

"Found something to needle Potter with." Torran's lips curved into a small smirk.

"Come on, Albus." Lucy's voice was cool and comforting. Her bright eyes, however, turned dark with rage. She didn't care to hear her favorite cousin being called a filthy squib and told she was useless and a waste of space, "He's not worth detention. Plus, Lily would be very angry if you did."

Torran Zabini is a pureblood third year. His family did not drop the prejudice like the Malfoys. His light coffee skin and dark chocolate locks set his dark blue eyes off. His aristocratic nature morphed his features into a mask of indifference when he was not smirking. That smirk was pissing Albus Potter off.

"Wipe that ridiculous look off your stupid face. It doesn't suit you." Albus calmed his temper, "Now, run along like a good Death Eater's son and do some dark magic."

Albus dismissed Torran by turning his back to him and facing the Common Room. He surveyed the faces around who had heard their disagreement.

"Alright you lot, listen and listen well. I will not repeat myself." Lucy stood next to Albus and slipped her small hand into his. He gave her a reassuring squeeze, "If any one of you has anything negative to say about anyone in my family, particularly my sister Lily, I will research hexes and I will find the nastiest most disfiguring one I can and use you for target practice."

A few younger students cowered away from him. Most of the older ones pretended he hadn't said anything. A few looked offended that they had been threatened.

"Come on, Albus, let's go find James." Lucy tugged his hand; "Please?" her voice was small. Albus never spoke out and never threatened. Unless his family, especially his sister, were involved. And that never happened.

"Shh, Luce." he comforted, "We are going."

Albus didn't like getting angry. It felt like a flood in his veins. He felt uncomfortable and powerful. When Torran said that Lily should have been dropped off at a squib orphanage to save the family embarrassment, Albus could feel his calm crumble. His strings were being pulled.

Torran Zabini was never one to be dismissed. He stepped right next to Albus.

"Be careful, Potter. Wouldn't want anything to happen to any of your cousins." his whisper was deadly. Albus kept his features cool, "Don't forget who you are threatening." and he left.

"Albus..." Lucy was worried. She had heard what Torran said.

"Not now." he replied.

Lily's lack of magic had been front page news the very next morning after saying good bye to her older brothers. The only disadvantage to being Harry Potter s children was they were watched constantly. Some reporter was always behind them. Most establishments had a strict no press policy. They covered it with the right to refuse service and the right to kick anyone out. The Potters and Weasleys were thankful.

But someone had observed Lily not boarding the train. That only meant one thing in the Wizarding World.

And now Albus was trying to hold onto some resemblance of control.

He hated being in his Common Room. Whispers and sniggers tended to follow him there. Damn purebloods couldn't let go of prejudices. Normally he could ignore them; most were directed at him for being the Savor's son. Since the article, most were now about his sister. That he could only ignore for so long.

With anger coursing in his blood, he led Lucy up to the Gryffindor Common Room. He knew the majority of his family would be there. While not every one of his cousins had been sorted in the Gryffindor, the majority had. He, Lucy, Molly and Hugo had not been placed in the red and gold. And that suited the whole family just fine.

"Kian!" Albus called out to the sandy haired third year, "Where is James?"

"'Ey, Potter!" Kian Finnegan waved, "Miss Weasley." he winked at Lucy. She smirked back at the Irish boy.

"How are you Finnegan?" Lucy inquired.

"Well." he gave her a nod, "I think your brother is upstairs. 'Im and Freddie are up to sommat." he turned back to Lucy, "'Ow are you?"

"Stay with Finnegan, Luce. Zabini is all wind, but even wind can become a storm." he pressed a soft kiss on her temple.

"I will." she flashed Albus a bright smile.

He sprinted upstairs to avoid hearing the endless flirting between his cousin and the Gryffindor. Locating the fourth year boy s dormitory, he knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" his cousin called through the wood.

"It's Albus." he called back.

"Go away!" Albus glared at the offending door.

"I need my brother!" he yelled back.

Albus heard three different voices grumble to one another. He waited patiently for the boys to open the door. Although, it was waning.

"JAMES!" Albus roared, his volume was near earsplitting. The unusual show of anger had the door quickly opening and Albus being pulled in by his shirt by his cousin Fred.

Albus examined the room. Fred had retreated to the bed he was using as a seat. James was sprawled out on his mattress, lounging without a care. Scorpius was propped up against his headboard. His ankles crossed and he was examining his nails. Albus decided to cuddle up on his brother's side. James wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

"Al, what's the matter?" James could feel the tension.

"I may or may not have threatened all of Slytherin." Albus sighed. James stiffened.

"Zabini?" Fred ground out.

"Yeah. He said terrible things about Lily. And then everyone was looking at us. Lucy tried to stop me, but I told them I would research the nastiest and most disfiguring hex I could find and use them as target practice." Albus laid an arm a crossed his midsection. He sighed in frustration.

"Well, there is your Weasley temper coming out. Aunt Ginny would be proud." Fred chuckled.

"I thought Lily had a mouth and that it could talk for her." Scorpius, who had been quiet, piped up. Albus sat up slowly, shrugging off his brother's arm.

"I thought she were my sister. You know nothing about her." Albus, his movements so controlled, stood up from the four poster bed. His face was set in a look of indifference, "I just need James to watch out for the younger ones. Lucy will be under my watchful eye. Hugo has no one in his house, plus he is so meek and scared. He is an easy target."

"Aunt Ginny taught all the girls her bat boogey curse. Roxy has already demonstrated it on a third year in the Common Room. Molly can hold her own. Lucy isn't much of a target also." Fred tried to reassure his grumpy cousin.

"I have Lucy; do what you want for the others. Come and see me if you need help." Albus started for the door, but hesitated, "Lucy is with Kian. Someone else go get her. They are probably snogging by now."

"Bloody hell!" James jumped up from his bed and dashed down the stairs. Fred was hot on his heels. Scorpius just smirked from his perch.

Albus left the room without another word. He slowly descended the stairs. He could hear yelling, screeching and curses. He relaxed slightly as the familiarity of it all was comforting. The noise reminded him of Sunday nights at his grandparents house.

The scene he intruded upon in the Gryffindor Common Room brought an amused glint to Albus' eyes. James had his wand pressed into Kian's throat and Fred was yelling at Lucy, who at turn screeched back. Gryffindors at all ages were standing, ready to attack whoever threw the first hex.

"Luce, come on! Stay away from that git." Fred's chocolate eyes were flashing with anger.

"Who do you think you are?! Who the hell do you think you are?!" Lucy's ice blue eyes were cold and angry, "I decide who I wish to be kissing. Not James. Not Albus. Not Molly. And most certainly not you!" she crossed her arms in defiance. Albus rolled his eyes.

"Like hell you do. Why do you think you were _blessed_ with all these older male cousins, Hellcat?" Fred's nickname only used when they argued, making clear that she wouldn't be talking her way out of this, "Exactly! Now run along to your Common Room."

"Potter, do you mind taking your wand out of my neck?" Kia Finnegan's voice was strangled. James' wand was cutting off air.

"Keep your grubby hands off my baby cousin and I will consider not hexing you." James' anger was palpable.

"Fine." Kian squeaked, "I'll not touch her again."

"James!" Lucy exclaimed, her teeth clenched.

"Good enough for me. You, Fred?" James never took his eyes from Kian's.

"Yeah. That'll do." Fred replied while pulling a reluctant Lucy in for a hug, "All better, Hellcat?"

"No." she grumbled into his chest.

"Excellent!" James and Fred exclaimed loudly.

"Al, be a dear and take Lucy home." James stepped away from Finnegan's shaking form.

"Come on Luce, you sealed the poor boy's fate." Albus slipped his hand into hers, "Nothing more you can do."

And he left her from the Gryffindor Tower. His lips curved into a small smile, letting his younger cousin vent about male egos and chauvinistic pigs. He felt sorry for the poor girl.

But he certainly loved his family.


	5. Confused with Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy

_**A/N: Hello all my lovelies! Happy Valentine's Day! I have an extra long chapter for you. Not because of this worthless day, but because I think that it needed special attention. I smoked so many cigarettes because of the tension. Of course, being Potters, they can't all be serious all the time. But, there are a lot of serious moments. I know Lily sounds older than eleven, but she carries being a squib on her shoulders. Since she cannot learn magic, she learns the ins and outs of the world. I wanted that to be somewhat conveyed in this chapter. Plus, she is very firm about the safety of her brothers. Which will be quite crucial in their later years. And there is even some Potter sneakiness. I really do love this chapter. The next chapter will be the meet and then the Christmas dinner. :D I am excited to see what happens there.**_

_**I hope you all enjoy this chapter. And as for timeline, this story is going to be jumping a lot. I am not doing year to year kind of things. From now on, most of the chapters will be when Scorpius comes to visit. Because I think that Lily and Scorpius' relationship is important. More like, I just like to see him beg for her friendship and trust. I am a different kind of evil. *smirk***_

_**Don't be afraid to tell me what you think. I am always excited to hear what you think and I always over share when I PM back if I can. I should belong to a group, Oversharers Anonymous. I have a problem...**_

_**Henny, that lucky Penny!**_

* * *

**Confused with Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy**

"Mmmph!" air escaped Lily's lungs as a foot kicked all the oxygen from her body. The force of the strike knocked her back. She lay sprawled out gasping for air.

"Lils, are you alright?" Joy Strum exclaimed. All Lily could do was nod her head, her lungs did not have enough air for words, "You blocked that move last week, what happened?" one final gasp of oxygen and Lily swallowed.

"You've gotten quicker. I blinked and your foot was trying to rearrange my ribcage." Lily lifted herself up gingerly, "That's good thought. Quick is good."

"Thanks!" Joy beamed at the redhead, "I'll see you after the hols?"

"Of course." Lily smiled back, "Are you sure you don't want to do that competition?"

"Unfortunately, I can't. My parents decided that staying with my grandparents in Nova Scotia out ranks my tournaments." Joy's lip pouted, "Personally, I think they should come here so I can have a cheering section that at least tries to compare to how many of your family members come. How do you keep them all sorted?" Lily shrugged her shoulders.

"Sometimes, even I don't know how I do." Lily grinned.

"Lily!" Ginny's voice trilled over the various grunts and yells.

"Coming!" she called back, "Happy Christmas, Joy!"

Lily jogged to her bag and grabbed it without stopping. She only stopped to slip her shoes on. When she stood beside her mother, her cheeks were flushed. Ginny kissed the top of her daughter's head.

"Ready to go home, Lils?" Ginny beamed at her youngest.

"Yes, mum!" Lily bounced up and down, excitement roared in her veins.

Lily's school was released for Christmas Holiday this afternoon and tomorrow, she would be training for the competition that takes place in a week. Not only that thought, but her brothers would be home, tonight. Her family would be whole again. Her best friends would be back, telling her stories of their adventures and classroom memories. She would have late nights and early mornings. Except this time, Scorpius Malfoy would also be there. That sobering thought quelled some of her excitement.

She kept her thoughts about the Malfoy boy to herself. Albus had written her, explaining some of the things the other children had been saying. Lily could care less, she was a Potter and Potters never listen to rumors. The do not let words dictate their moods and emotions. Had she not proved that time and again at her muggle school? Children found her flaming red hair odd and disturbing. And with all things odd and disturbing, they made fun of it. Lily may or may not have started some fights, forgetting all of her training as she wailed her fists into a dark haired boy's face. But he had tried to cut her hair; that was unacceptable.

"Flower, is that you?" Lily heard her father from his study.

"Yes, daddy! Mum and I are home." she answered as she bounded up the stairs. She whirled into his study and jumped into his lap.

"Flower! How was your day?" Harry's mirth was evident only in his emerald orbs.

"It was great! But training was even better! Joy landed a kick on my ribs today! She was brilliant!" her cheeks were flushed with happiness, "Now I have something to work for! Being fast enough to dodge Joy and everyone else!"

"That is great!" Harry gave her a light kiss on the tip of her nose, "Take a quick shower and you and I will go pick up the boys."

"Yes, dad." and Lily set about as her father instructed.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Harry and Lily gathered into the car and set out to Kings Cross Station. Lily, brimming with joy, patiently watched the scenery go by. She tried to push out the worries of Scorpius. After all, they didn't know each other. But he had annoyed her. Lily didn't take kindly to jokes about her nicknames for James and Albus. They knew that. She shouldn't worry. They would never allow someone to steal **HER** words. They knew better. Right?

"Lily, be still." Harry chided softly. Lily had been bouncing from foot to foot on the platform, barely containing her nerves.

"Do you see them yet?" she squeaked. Harry chuckled. He gently stroked his daughter s hair, a gesture known to calm the bubbly red head. But only if your name was Harry Potter.

"Dad!" a familiar voice broke through the constant hum of Platform 9 3/4.

"Albie!" Lily squealed as she sprinted from her father's side. She leaped into Albus' outstretched arms. He laughed as he twirled her around while hugging her tightly. Her loud giggles brought a grin to Harry's face, "Where is James?" she asked as he set her back on the ground.

"Never far away, that's for sure." James' voice came up behind her. She squeaked in surprise and twirled to the voice. Ignoring the blonde boy, she jumped up and circled her small arms around his neck. The messy, black haired youth wrapped his arms around the middle of her back, effectively lifting her from the ground.

"Jamie!" Lily gasped his name. She was caught between giggling and talking.

Scorpius waited patiently for the siblings to reacquaint themselves. James had warned him this would happen. He told Scorpius Lily would most likely ignore him and barely talk to him. Her stubborn nature would let her latch onto her annoyance and let it fester. James warned him that Lily would eventually come around and then he would regret knowing her. Lily Luna Potter confused Scorpius Malfoy.

"Hello, Mister Malfoy." the red head was standing in front of him. He offered her a small smile.

"Hello again, Miss Potter." he responded. Lily's lips curled into a grin.

"Come on, kids!" Harry called, "Let's head on home."

The boys carried their trunks as Lily skipped ahead. Harry kept an ever watchful eye on the bouncing head of red. He may know that Lily could take care of herself, but she was his Lily Flower and it has only been natural to worry about her safety. He only has one daughter. That is his princess. He knows the boys are watching also. Her safety was paramount in their eyes. Scorpius observed the three Potter men follow Lily and wondered if he would ever find someone he would watch so closely.

As they neared the car, Lily slowed down. A look of worry passed through her eyes.

"What's wrong, firecracker?" James asked as he put an arm around her shoulders.

"Am I sitting up front?" her voice was small. James broke out in a mischievous smile.

"No. We will be bad hosts and have Scorp sit up front. That way, we three can snuggle in the back and fall asleep. Forcing dad to converse with a Malfoy." Lily giggled.

"Be serious, James!" she tried to school her features.

"Wrong, firecracker. I'm James Sirius Potter. Not Sirius James Potter." he threw her a wink. She responded with a punch to his chest.

"Well, where are you lot sitting?" the Potter patriarch inquired with a raised eyebrow. The only give away the he enjoyed his son's antics was a glint in his eyes.

"I'm sitting up front. Al, Lils and Scor are in back." James replied seriously, "What you think, Al?"

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed. And then she promptly punched James in the nose.

"Lily!" Harry raised his voice. James stumbled backwards and held his nose. Lily ignored her father. Albus smirked at his brother and Scorpius didn't know what to think.

"Lucy said you were a prat. She asked me to punch you in the nose. I figured if I did it in public, you would learn your lesson." she said, as if it would explain what just happened.

"Get in the car, now." Harry ordered sternly, "We will discuss this at home."

The car ride was quiet. Mainly because Lily and Albus fell into their comfortable positions and then to sleep. Harry didn't have the heart to split them. He honestly didn't want to have to punish Lily. He knew that she would not do it again unless provoked. But the drops of blood that fell before he was able to heal James' nose were bright red against his uniform shirt collar. Ginny would be able to notice and Lily would not be able to escape her mother's wrath.

"What did you do?" Ginny directed at Lily. For all her worth, Lily looked thoroughly ashamed, "Well?" Ginny's cinnamon eyes were dark with anger.

"I punched James in the nose." Lily answered.

"Why on Earth would you do that, Lily?" her hands on her hips, much in the same fashion as her mother, Molly Weasley.

"Lucy asked me to." was all Lily offered, "No dessert for how long this time?"

"I have half a mind to leave you here on Christmas." Ginny replied crossly, "The other half wants to say you aren't allowed to compete next week." Lily gasped.

"No! Please, mum!" while she felt like doing it, no tears appeared in her eyes, "I'll not pick fights all Holiday! I promise. Please, don't make me drop out of the meet!" Ginny raised an eyebrow as Lily pleaded.

"All Holiday? Even at Christmas dinner? No fighting with your cousins?" and Lily knew she had been had. Her shoulders drooped.

"Yes, mum. I promise no fighting all Christmas." Lily grimaced.

"Good, now go." and off the tiny redhead sprinted to James' room.

Forgoing knocking, she opened the door to James' bedroom and heard a not so manly squeak float through the entrance. James and Scorpius were in different states of undress. The squeak had come from the blonde who quickly pulled up his trousers. Her brother threw her a halfhearted withering look, which Lily promptly ignored. She rolled her eyes and crossed the room to James' bed and crawled into the middle. The dark haired young man ignored her presence and continued to look for a long sleeved shirt.

Scorpius, unaccustomed to tiny girls inviting themselves into a boy's room, looked insanely uncomfortable. He crossed his arms over his chest after fastening his trousers.

"Want me to leave, Mister Malfoy?" Lily feigned concern.

"Oh good, you caught on to that." Scorpius replied, a touch of sarcasm in his words, "Could you, please?"

"No."

"Lily, haven't you caused enough trouble?" her brother was unamused with her stubbornness.

"Never." her devilish smile was wicked, "I'll close my eyes and promise not to peek." and her hazel irises were hidden behind her lids.

Lily could hear the fourteen year olds go about dressing. The door opened and she heard Albus snort softly. A soft, warm palm touched her shoulder, a warning that Albus was coming to sit next to her.

"What did mum say?" Albus inquired as he started twirling a strand of her long red hair. Lily kept her eyes closed as she pouted.

"I'm not allowed to fight with anyone all Holiday." her tone was dejected, "She threatened my attendance at next week's meet."

"For shame." he replied in mock disbelief.

"Done!" James exclaimed. Lily blinked her eyes open.

"Finally!" she bounced a little as James flopped on the mattress. She squeaked as she lost her balance. Scorpius took advantage of the open bed and sat down.

"What is a meet?" the blonde asked. He observed Lily as she leant her back against Albus' side. He watched as Albus took another strand and started twirling the vibrant red hair. Lily flashed him a bright smile.

"I have been training for six years in Muay Thai. A type of 'muggle fighting' and next week is a meet. I go and show off the skills I have learned by defeating opponents. I am hoping for first place this year." her tone was light and happy. Scorpius understood why her brothers preferred her happy. Her smile made you feel happy and her excited chatter made you want to learn everything from her.

"Will we be going?" the Malfoy boy was curious.

"We go every year." James piped up.

"Would you be able to keep from insulting gingers to stay alive the whole day?" Albus smirked that Slytherin smirk. It really unsettled Scorpius. The glint in the younger boy's eye told him that he had caught on to that and enjoyed seeing him squirm, "A few of our cousins come and cheer her on. Lucy always makes her dad let her go."

"Children! Dinner!" Ginny's yell saved Scorpius from answering the obvious word trap.

Before any of the boys could move, Lily planted a firm palm on the blonde's shoulder and swung her hips forward. She landed heavily on the carpeted floor and stumbled slightly, the only indication she was still growing and adjusting to her own body. Her triumphant smile spoke that that may have been the first time she landed it, however ungraceful the end was. She skipped out of the room, downstairs to her mother's voice.

"Where does she get all that energy?" Scorpius stared at the doorway.

"Dad says she is so full of life, she can hardly contain it." James sat up and slid off the bed, "I say she sneaks cups of his strong tea and doesn't tell anyone. Al thinks she is secretly brewing Invigoration Draught in her room." Albus followed his brother, "Mum just smiles at us and goes about her business. I think Lily acts like her when she was her age."

"Excited?" Scorpius brought up the rear as the three young wizards left the room.

"Almost like a puppy sometimes." Albus muttered as they entered the dining room. The smell of a pot roast greeted them, their mouths watering instantly.

"Smells delicious, Missus Potter." Scorpius took his place next to James.

"Thank you." Ginny smiled at his manners, "Lily, go sit by Albus. No more glaring." a huff came from behind Scorpius.

"Well, I'm not allowed to fight, what else am I to do?" she slid into the chair next to Albus.

"He always sits next to me when he visits during the summer." James served himself some roasted vegetables, "He doesn't steal my food." her big brother threw her a wink.

"You would know that if you didn't runaway to your friend's house every time James asks if he could come over." Albus served her some roast first and handed her plate back. He started working on his own plate. Lily's face was tinted pink.

"I do not runaway! I go to enjoy the company of my friend." Lily bent her head over her roast and proceeded to ignore her family and Scorpius.

The rest of dinner was silent save for when Lily stole a potato off of Albus' plate. The table erupted into giggles and chuckles. Lily pretended not to know what was so funny.

* * *

"Do I make you angry?" Scorpius asked Lily as she was leaning against Albus again on James' bed. It was the same set up as earlier. Except the boys had their books and were reading. James nudged his knee with his foot as a warning. The blonde ignored him, "Because I don't mean to make you upset. That in turn makes James cranky and he is unbearable cranky."

"Hey!" his friend exclaimed indignantly.

"He is right, y'know." Albus murmured. James reached out and pinched his brother's thigh. Albus winced, but did not look up from his Potions book. Lily ignored their exchange and kept braiding her hair into little braids.

"Well?" at his insistence, Albus looked up from his studying and watched the young Malfoy carefully. Lily sighed.

"No. Just you symbolism." Scorpius started at her deep understanding of the world. Lily gathered more hair to begin another tiny braid, "You represent a part of Jamie and Albie that I cannot be privy to. You all have your spells and potions. You get to make mischief and pull pranks in a place I cannot go. I get to stay here and be plain and boring." she frowned at her hair like it was to blame.

"No one thinks you are plain and boring, firecracker." James muttered into his Charms book, "Most of the time you are the life of the party."

"I know." she replied haughtily, "But I'm still just Lily Luna Potter, squib of the Potter Family. Mum and dad have been hiding the Prophet from me. But I know I made the paper. Lucy told me. I'm a smudge on two influential families. So, I guess I have that to look forward to." Albus' ears grew red. His emerald irises turned to a forest green in anger, but he said nothing as he kissed the back of her head. More hair, another braid, "Why do you ask?"

"I'd prefer you not be angry." Scorpius looked down at his Defense book. The tone of her voice made him feel guilty for bringing it up, "James told me about you breaking a kid's nose for attempting to cut your hair. I'm rather fond of the placement of my nose on my face." Lily giggled.

"Well, I have pretty hair." she said like he should already know that.

"Don't say anything that will make me hit you." James' sharp warning had his friend looking up. The seriousness of his gaze had Scorpius swallowing his words. A satisfied look crossed the dark haired boy's features and he turned back down to his book.

The room was silent again as the young men returned to their reading. Lily kept braiding her hair. The only noise that was made was when she shifted to a sitting position to braid the back of her hair. Although, she struggled with that bit. Her arms were in proportionate to the length of her hair. Scorpius noticed and scooted over.

"May I?" he asked quietly. Lily looked at him skeptically, "I used to play with my mother's hair. She taught me how to plait." Lily narrowed her hazel eyes.

"Do you have any scissors about you?" Scorpius held up his hands in a compliant gesture. After a few seconds of staring at his innocent face, she nodded her consent.

"Alright, turn towards the wall." he ordered and Lily's eyes narrowed further, "Please?"

Lily shifted her position and felt him softly touch her scalp, letting her get used to the feeling of his fingers. His deft digits started braiding her hair. He was soft and gentle about it. And quick. She found she didn't mind the feeling. Of course, Lily liked it when her family played with her hair. It was an unconscious act and one of endearment. After the incident, especially after the incident at school, she trusted few with the flaming locks. Scorpius had really been patient with her. He even admitted he didn't want to make her angry. If Lily Luna Potter was anything, she was civil. She could determine if Scorpius Malfoy could be a part of her life later.

"There." the blonde withdrew his hands. Lily reached back and felt his work. The braids were smooth and proportionate to her other ones. There were also no chunks of missing strands. She turned to look at him and smiled.

"Thank you." she said quietly. Albus looked up from his book and glanced over the work. He smiled softly as she leaned against him again.

"Pretty good, Malfoy." he murmured as he took a braid and started twirling it. He looked over at the blonde boy, "Amazing she trusted you with her hair. She only trusts family with it." and with that, Albus returned to his Potions book.

"Thanks." Scorpius muttered as he shifted away from the girl as she continued with her work.

"They look good, Albie?" she questioned. Albus hummed his approval while continuing to twirl the long plait, "Okay." her voice was soft.

"There you four are." Ginny's voice came from the doorway. Four sets of eyes snapped to her face, "Dad is serving dessert, was wondering if you were interested?"

"We'll be down, mum." James replied as he sat up to stretch.

"Alright." Ginny disappeared to the downstairs.

"You three go ahead. I ate too much roast." Lily said as she shifted to climb off the bed, "I'll be in my room reading." and she skipped out the door and down the hall. The three boys heard her door close softly.

"Hmm...I wonder what's wrong." Albus marked his page and set his book on James' nightstand. He crawled off the mattress and looked at James. James just shrugged.

"She is probably just going to have some later. Her midnight snacking is getting out of hand, Al." he responded to his brother. Albus smiled slyly as they headed downstairs.

"Oh yes." he agreed, "We should help her with that habit."

"Definitely." James winked.

After eating their pudding, the three boys bid the Potters good night and waited patiently for the adults to head to their room.

The plan was simple. Sneak out of their rooms, quietly and go downstairs and wait in the dark for their prey to come for her pudding. Scorpius was very impressed with their stealth, seeing as it was harder to be quiet in a house. A huge castle like Hogwarts was much easier to sneak around. The Potter boys made it look like an art form.

"You shouldn't sneak around. A girl might think you three are robbers and beat the tar out of you." Lily's voice made all three of them jump. They fought hard to choke down the yelps of surprise. Lily giggled at their fright.

"Potter! You didn't tell me your sister was a bleeding Auror!" Scorpius' chest was heaving, trying to still his racing heart.

"I forgot! She is sneaky like that." James was grinning.

"Tsk, tsk Jamie." Lily lit a candle, creating a soft glow, "You know I learn from the best."

"Dad has not been teaching you his tricks of the trade." Albus smirked at his cheeky sister.

"You're right. Sneaking in the dark is a Potter trait." a deeper voice came from behind the three less-than-sneaky youths.

This time, they could not hold in the yelps of surprise. The boys jumped at the sound of the older Potter man. In the dim light, their embarrassed blushes went unnoticed. Harry Potter chuckled at their expense. He padded over to his silly princess and gave her a peck on the top of her head.

"Good night, Flower." he said quietly. She beamed up at her father. Harry came up to his boys and gave them both a quick kiss on their unruly manes of hair, "Good night, boys." and after a gentle squeeze of Scorpius' shoulder; he left the children to their own devices.

Once they heard the soft click of his door closing, the three boys rounded on the tiny red head.

"How did you know?" James inquired suspiciously at his sister.

"I heard you talking. Then dad and I devised a plan. You actually only heard mum go to bed." the twinkle in her eye was bright.

"Killjoy." Albus muttered. The tone of affection indicated that he wasn't mad.

"Mum has practice tomorrow. And dad can't get out of work. She was wondering if you could take me to the gym tomorrow." Lily got up from the couch and wiggled under his arm. James wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders and guided her gently to the kitchen.

Albus lit a candle on the table. Lily sat down on a chair. James got down two glasses and then motioned to Scorpius, silently asking if he wanted something to drink. After his small nod, he procured another glass. He filled the glasses with water from the tap and carried them carefully to the table.

"What about me?" Albus narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"You've got two legs, don't you?" James' tone was condescending.

"'Course." Albus grumbled. He got up from his chair to fetch a glass of water.

"Mister Malfoy?" Lily looked at the older boy.

"Yes, Miss Potter?" he arched an eyebrow at her.

"Would you ever hurt Jamie?" her small face was thoughtful. Scorpius flicked his eyes to James. He looked as nervous as he felt.

"Not if I can help it. I don't make it a habit to hurt my friends." he looked in her eyes, his electric blue holding her hazel.

"Would you ever hurt Albie?" Lily's features were unchanged.

"No. Never on purpose." her intense stare was unsettling. How can an eleven year old be so serious?

"Little one, what are you worried about?" Albus calmly broke the tension created by the two.

"I'm conflicted." her eyes met his concerned emerald orbs, "I want to befriend Mister Malfoy here, but I don't know if I can trust him. I can learn to trust someone who wouldn't hurt the two of you." she ran a hand through her hair.

"Hey, you undid all the plaits!" Scorpius exclaimed. Lily smiled sheepishly.

"Well, not all of them." she reached behind her head and pulled two braids from under her hair. They had been tied off with clear elastic bands, "I like them." Scorpius smiled brightly.

"Don't." James very nearly growled. The bright smile faded from his face.

"Sorry." Scorpius muttered into his glass of water.

"They look good." Albus smirked at the discouraged Gryffindor.

"I have one more questions for you, Mister Malfoy." Lily stopped glaring at her oldest brother to look at Scorpius. He nodded for her to go on, "Would you ever hurt me?" her question was soft, but the tension in the room grew to a palpable level. Albus was calmly watching him, the only sign he was anxious was the muscle in his cheek kept flexing. James had his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.

Scorpius took a long pull of water. As he drank, he watched the small girl in front of him thoughtfully. _Could he hurt her?_ He imagined her crying, screaming and yelling. Her bright face morphed into pain and anger. _Could he do something like that to her?_

"Never." he answered her question as well as his own.

"Never? Even on accident?" _She is too damn smart for her own good._

"Never." he repeated, the conviction was strong and unwavering.

"That's a tall order, Mister Malfoy." Lily took a sip of water, her eyes unmoving.

"That is a pretty serious question, Miss Potter." he shot back. Lily considered him for a few more minutes.

After a particularly long drink of water and more staring and studying Scorpius, she finally removed her gaze and resettled it on James. Her posture was tense.

"Jamie, I love you." she finally broke her silence. James looked at her steady eyes.

"I love you too, firecracker." he replied softly. She nodded and shifted her focus to Albus. He held her gaze unblinkingly.

"I love you, Albie." she looked vulnerable to Scorpius. _Confessing feelings, that makes you vulnerable._ He watched the exchange carefully and reverently.

"I love you too, little one." Albus whispered back. Her lips curved into a light smile.

"Mister Malfoy, I think you and I could learn to be friends." her small features still tense, "I still don't know if I can trust you."

"Well, trust is earned, so I'm not surprised." Scorpius responded calmly.

"So, we are on the same thought? Excellent!" and with that cryptic message, she rose from her chair and bounded up the stairs.

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy was thoroughly and completely confused. What the **hell** just happened?


	6. A PotterWeasley Christmas pt 1

_**A/N: Ah yes, Christmas. I was very stuck on this bit. The paper idea came to me when I was thinking of presents. Lily would understandably not want to have parchment sent to her from her family members at Hogwarts. In case you hadn't noticed, she can be picky. Plus, she is the youngest girl with two older brothers, she has to be a girl somehow. **_

_**The match was hard because I really wanted her to get first. But my brain refused to concede to my wishes. I should probably get a leash for my mind and learn to reign it in. But then we wouldn't be able to see Lily as a young girl with a young girl response for once. I was the same way. If it wasn't first, I cried about it because I was that competitive.**_

_**Please enjoy reading!**_

_**Henny, that lucky Penny!**_

* * *

**A Potter/Weasley Christmas pt 1**

"Foul!" George Weasley shouted. Ginny Potter buried her face in her hands in exasperation. Beside her, Harry Potter sat rigid back and white knuckled.

"George," Ginny extracted her face from her palms, "you can't say that every time someone lands a body shot." her tone sounded eerily like Molly Weasley, matron of the Weasley/Potter family.

"Well, he shouldn't attack my niece so vehemently." he growled as he slumped back onto the bench.

"Uncle George, believe me when I say this, she can dish it right back." Albus calmly informed his excitable uncle.

"Furthermore, you'll distract her and cause her to lose." Ginny scolded her older, protective brother, "Then you will get first hand experience with her ability to 'dish it right back.'"

"Bloody bastard! He did it again!" George fumed.

"George!" Ginny, Harry and Hermione Weasley exclaimed in unison. He had the grace to blush in slight embarrassment.

"Why she would let him do that, boggles the mind, donnit Freddie?" he ignored his sister and in-laws.

"Glutton for punishment, that one." he replied his father as he watched his small cousin flip the unfortunate boy and pin him. A sharp, short whistle signaled the end of the battle.

"That'll teach him!" George threw a fist up in triumph.

"Oh Merlin!" Ginny muttered under her breathe, "Harry love, you need to relax. She has grown into her own."

"I'll relax when we get her home and examined." Harry mumbled out the side of his mouth while focusing on his daughter, "Oh Merlin's beard, what if he broke her arm? D'you think she is hurt? I should check on her." his face paled at the image of his bruised daughter in his mind.

"Enough!" the present company all flinched as her whip-like voice cracked, "Harry, she is fine. She is a Potter and Potters are indestructible. George, there are refs for a reason. You are not one of them. Boys, if you encourage this behavior, so help me, I will take every one of your presents back and get you all frilly little dresses and put permanent sticking charms on them, then I will force you all to wear them." the present males all shrunk away from the angered red head. Lucy smirked at their misfortune of evoking her aunt's wrath.

"Lily is up again." Hermione tried to distract her sister-in-law. Ginny ignore her.

"Am I clear?" her eyes narrowed at the cowering men and boys. Simultaneous nods appeased her temper.

"Your mum is bloody scary when she is mad." Scorpius spoke for the first time since the meet began.

"And has ears like a hound." James warned his friend as he caught his mother's eye. Scorpius wisely decided to stay quiet.

The tournament continued. Harry kept a vigilant eye on his daughter. George grumbled every time Lily was hit and the young men all winced when the petite red head landed a body shot of her own. Lucy watched in silent observance, comfortable in the knowledge that her cousin knew what she was doing. Ginny and Hermione both wore calm expressions. Their only tell that they were worried was a tightness around their eyes.

Her cousins, Lucy, Fred, Roxanne, Rose and Hugo had come out to support Lily. Her uncle Ron and George accompanied the children, mainly to place bets on Lily's matches. Her Aunt Hermione had come to referee the Weasley's, but soon became too engrossed in Lily's progress. All Potters were present plus one Scorpius Malfoy. The party almost took up an entire section of bleachers.

"Harry! She is one of the top five!" Ginny gripped Harry's shoulder, her whole body was humming excitedly.

"Thank Godric." Harry muttered, his face regaining some color.

"Look Uncle Harry! Her next opponent is twice her size!" Fred goaded his worried relative. He was rewarded for his efforts with a sharp, stinging slap on the back of his head by his Aunt Ginny.

"Frilly dresses, Fred Weasley." she warned in a low voice.

"Oh no!" Lucy gasped. The whole clan snapped to attention. As a whole, they all tensed.

Lily was wrapped into a tight hold. To her credit, she didn't appear to be panicking. Her features were calm and she was testing her range of movement with calculated twitches. Scorpius saw her cool façade begin to crumble and her movements turned more frantic. And then to his horror, he saw her opponent manhandle her roughly and slam her on the mat. Three second later, a sharp blast ended the match.

"Damn." he heard George mutter behind him.

"She was doing so well." Roxanne exclaimed in disappointment.

"Next year, Roxie. Next year." James gave her knee behind him a comforting squeeze.

* * *

"Flower love, do you want some ice-cream?" Harry was walking beside Lily with her tucked under his arm.

"No, thank you." Lily's voice was small and her eyes were downcast, "I need a shower and a hot meal."

"Lils, are you okay?" Ginny's voice was soft. Her soothing tones struck the young girl the wrong way.

"I'm fine, mother. I'm just small and weak." the tips of Lily's ears were turning pink, "My body does not obey my commands because I can't overpower anyone when I am stuck in this small body!" her voice was raised by the end of her rant. She dislodged her form from her father's side.

"Lily!" Harry called to her. She promptly ignored him and started running.

"No, Lils!" Ginny started moving forward after her, but a hand on her forearm stopped her.

"Mum, James, Scorp and I will watch her." his voice was steady, "We will talk to her." his parents nodded and the three boys took off after the fleeing girl.

"Firecracker! Wait!" James called to her.

"Little one!" Albus tried to get her to slow down.

Because they were much taller, the young wizards caught up to her easily. James grasped her arm and spun her around to face him. Anger, defeat and hurt shone in her eyes with frustrated tears.

"See? This is what I am saying! I am weak! And I hate being weak." she ripped her arm from his grip and furiously wiped at the unshed tears.

"Now you wait one minute." James' voice was tight, "Who told you that you are weak?"

Scorpius stepped away from the scene. While he had been volunteered for this mission, he didn't feel like he belonged. The Potter boys were handling their sister and he had no idea what that entailed. He most certainly didn't want to say the wrong thing. The girl seemed frustrated enough without him saying something tactless. And he really didn't want to over step his bounds by trying to give her a comforting hug or a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. That would evoke the wrath of the Potter brothers.

No, Scorpius didn't do comforting well.

"No one. After I realized I couldn't break that boy's hold, I concluded that I was weak." Lily replied while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Don't lie, Lily." Albus said quietly. Lily scoffed.

"I'm not." she snapped. Scorpius must have been put under a curse because he felt himself stepping forward.

"I was that boy, wasn't it? He called you weak?" he heard himself saying. He winced when her hot glare rested on his blue eyes. He licked his lips nervously, "Well, he is jealous. In two year's time, I bet you are going to be winning matches against him."

All they got for a warning was a slight quiver of her bottom lip. Before any of them could register what that meant, Lily burst into tears. Scorpius back pedaled away. The tears terrified him and the thought that he caused them made him feel guilty.

"Oh, Lily." James picked her up like she was a small child. Lily buried her face in the crook of his neck. The small party walked the rest of the way to Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Upon arriving, James took Lily up to her room. She had cried the rest of the way home. The longer her tears fell, the guiltier Scorpius felt. _Had he been too harsh?_ He really didn't mean to make her cry. _Why did he open his big mouth?_

"Scor?" James interrupted his musings.

"Yeah?"

"Stop worrying. I think she is really disappointed in her performance. She really believed this was her year." James sighed.

"At the very least, she is taking a shower." Albus soothed his brother.

"I didn't mean to make her cry." Scorpius said his tone laced with concern.

"Don't worry about it, Scorpius. She'll kill you _after_ her shower." Albus smirked. That smirk held evil undertones.

"Al..."James warned, his voice sounded tired. The smirk dropped from his face and he shrugged, "She will take that up with you when she is done crying."

"Bloody hell." Scorpius muttered.

The evening was uneventful. Lily made herself scarce. The only one who had found this worrisome was the Malfoy heir. Unaccustomed to being allowed a hissy fit to play out, he felt like they should be doing something to help her. In the week he had been around her, he never saw her joy falter or her enthusiasm vanish. This sulking was something he never expected. Nor was he prepared for it.

In the middle of the night, he found he needed a glass of water. The dry winter weather parched his throat. So, bleary eyed, he quietly snuck down to the kitchen for a glass of water. He didn't want to disturb the other occupants of the silent house.

The small dark figure he walked in on nearly stopped his heart.

"Jamie?" her gentle voice was loud in the dead silence.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not James." the blonde replied quietly. A soft sigh reached his ears. The sound of matches being rustled warned him a candle was about to be lit.

"Sorry. You two have similar silhouettes." she mumbled as a match flared to life. The flame was transferred to the candle and he saw her face in the soft glow.

"It's fine. Do you need me to go get him?" he noted her miserable look.

"No. Can I get you some water?" she made to get up.

"Don't worry. I'll get it myself."

Scorpius crossed the kitchen and pulled a glass from the cabinet. He filled it with water from the tap. When he turned to Lily, he saw silent tears gliding down her cheeks. They were unchecked and they made him feel miserable. So, he pulled out a chair and sat down across from the tiny girl. To bide him time, Scorpius took a large drink and set the glass down.

"What did he say to you?" his inquiry was a whisper. Even with the gentle tone, she startled and snapped her hazel eyes to him. A silence descended between them. Finally, she took a deep breathe.

"He said I was a stupid bint. Then he kindly reminded me that I was small and insignificant. _'Too weak to grapple properly and a tiny wisp of nothing.'_ Those were his exact words to me as we walked off the mat." her voice was bitter. He small features were twisted into disdain, "He only spoke the truth." Scorpius took another drink of water.

"No, he didn't say anything even remotely true. He couldn't, because he doesn't know you."

"And you do, Mister Malfoy?" her eyes narrowed.

"I never claimed to know you, Miss Potter." he held her gaze, "But I have been here a week and the way you handle your brothers shows that you are not weak. The way you hold yourself, even as the wizarding media calls you unfair and horrible names, shows that you are not weak. Hell, you even scare me and I am some supposed son of a Death Eater." his nose wrinkled at the words, "I am supposed to be fearless or something along those lines."

"But, look at me!" she spread her arms out. Scorpius was not an idiot, he held her hazel gaze. A little heat leaked into her irises, "I am small. I have no muscles."

"James had no muscles at eleven. Albus had no muscles at eleven. I had no muscles at eleven. No normal eleven year old has muscles." Scorpius retorted, "Like I said earlier, in two year's time, you will be winning matches against that stupid boy." another sip of water. Lily stared at him in silence. He waited patiently for her to mull over his words.

"Why two years?" Lily whispered.

"Because, before you had your break down, there was a fire in your eyes. I know you will take hold of that fire and you will use it to your advantage. It will drive you to train harder and faster." he finished his water and rose from his seat. After placing the glass in the sink with a soft ting, he pushed in his chair.

"How do you know?"

"You Potters are all the same. You train hard to fight hard." he gave her a slight smile, "Good night, Miss Potter."

* * *

"Scorpius! Wake up!" James said excitedly, "Happy Christmas, mate!" the sound of paper ripping could be heard. The pale wizard sat up and his eyes rested on his pile of presents.

"Happy Christmas, James." he said before he started tearing into his gifts.

A practice snitch from his parents, _Advanced Defense_ from Mister and Missus Potter, a replacement copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_ from James and an annoying pygmy puff from Albus. Scorpius unwrapped a package from Lily and before he could register what the purple rectangle parcel was, James snatched it from his grasp, cursing.

"LILY!" he hollered as he dashed from the room.

"James, wait!" he called after his friend. Scorpius followed James' path down the hall to Lily's room.

"What's going on?" Albus groggily asked from his door. Scorpius shrugged.

"Take it back!" James' voice flew from Lily's room. Her door was still open from James bursting in.

"No. It is his choice." Lily's voice sharply replied. Albus and Scorpius peeked around the door frame, "Happy Christmas, Albie and Mister Malfoy." her bossy tone was replaced with a cheerful one.

"Happy Christmas." they said in unison, voices still thick with sleep.

"Lily, I am serious. He is not permitted to use this. I will not allow it." James' cheeks were flushed with anger.

"Dear brother, I thought your name-"

"DON'T!" he roared at her. Albus felt it was time to intervene.

The younger boy stalked over to his raging brother. Upon his arrival, he snatched the purple parcel. It went flying over to Lily in a graceful arc. Albus started pushing James out of the room. The tension evaporated once the dark haired boys had vacated the room. Lily sighed and climbed out of bed, the mysterious gift in her small grasp.

"Here." she held it out for Scorpius to take, "This is my favorite paper. It is considerably less than parchment and I prefer the color over the awful yellowish tinged crap. If you decide not to owl me, you can give it to my annoying brother. That way he will stay off your back." Scorpius took the offered gift.

"He's mad because you want me to owl you?"

"He's angry because he feels you will either steal me away from him and I am not someone he wants to share. Or that you will make me fall in love with you, which is gross, and proceed to break my heart. Thus causing him to have to kill you." Lily smirked at him, knowing she caught him in a very bad position.

"Right." he coughed awkwardly, "Thank you for the paper." and he left.

Scorpius ran like a scared dog with his tail between his legs. James was right; he was starting to regret getting to know Lily Luna Potter.


	7. A PotterWeasley Christmas pt 2

**A Potter/Weasley Christmas pt 2**

Breakfast was a light affair. The Potter children and Scorpius thank the Potter parents for their gifts. Fruit and porridge were served for the meal. The younger attendees barely spoke to each other. The adults either didn't notice or they knew they would work it out. The older occupants knew with Albus' calm demeanor, James' quick wit and Lily's unnatural understanding, the children wouldn't stay quiet for long. They had inherited some of the more favorable qualities that Harry and Ginny possessed. The recklessness and tempers were bonuses that they agreed could have been kept to themselves.

Teddy Lupin arrived by floo after breakfast. Lily excitedly squealed and flew into his arms. Her, adopted, oldest brother had married Victoire Weasley the summer past. A twenty one year old man, he had finished his training to become a Hit Wizard and was now running around, locking up miscreants and criminals. His steady wand hand and calm disposition, much like his biological father Remus Lupin, met the requirement of 'not of a nervous disposition' to join the Hit Wizard division. While Harry had dearly hoped Teddy would join the Aurors with him, he and Ginny were extremely proud of the wizard the metamorphmagus had grown to be.

After Lily had welcomed him home, James asked if he could talk to his brother in all but blood alone. Teddy, knowing how the gears turned in his family, knew that this was serious business. After kissing Ginny on the cheek and receiving a clasp in the shoulder from Harry, he followed his troubled sibling up to his room.

"Happy Christmas, James." he greeted the auburn haired youth.

"Happy Christmas, Teddy." James responded while giving Teddy a side-arm hug. The metamorphmagus returned the gestured and waited patiently for James to gather his thoughts. After a brief silence, James ran a hand through his hair, making the unruly locks messier, "Lily gave Scorpius a ream of paper." Teddy raised an eyebrow and his hair shifted from canary yellow to light red.

"Oh, she did? How did you take that?" Teddy's tone was edgy.

"Not well. I yelled at her." James sat heavily on the edge of his bed. The older wizard joined him.

"That's a surprise." he responded dryly, "Did that improve your mood?" James noted the clipped tone.

"No. But she didn't even hear me. She's not his Lily. She's my Lily. Our Lily. He may be my best friend, but she is my sister." James stared at the floor as he let his thought run rampant. Teddy hummed in agreement, "Do you think I over reacted?" James finally brought his gaze over to his brother to peer into emerald green eyes. Teddy chuckled.

"You most certainly did." he shifted his hair back to yellow, "Did you ever consider why she gifted him the paper?" James shook his head, "I think she is making an effort to get to know Scorpius because she understands how important he is to you. She just wants to understand him better."

"I'm worried all he is going to do is hurt her." James sighed, "I didn't think this would be an issue. I also didn't anticipate her requesting him to owl her. After what happened on the platform at King's Cross Station, I thought that she would tolerate him at best. I don't much care for the shine she has taken to him." an amused smirk curved Teddy's lips.

"Want my opinion?" the younger wizard nodded, "I believe you are reading too much into this because you don't want to share. Lily has always been ours because we feared what the public would say about her, especially after Uncle Percy's vile words when we were younger. You, Albus, Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny and I have always made sure to shield her. Now that her lack of magic is out in the open, you feel like safe bubble has been popped."

"Because it has!" James exclaimed, "We kids are always writing you, so you know what has been going on. You can't honestly sit there and pretend like you aren't worried for her!"

"Yes I can, James. Not only is she a Potter, but she has never cared about anyone's opinion of her. By being a Potter, she never listens to any rumors about herself."

"After her meet yesterday, a boy made her cry. He called her weak and she went the rest of the night believing she is. For some reason or another, she believed that cruel boy and was brought down to her knees." James curled his hands into tight fists.

"A boy made her cry, eh?" Teddy's hair turned a vivid shade of red, "And she believed the bullshit that came out of his mouth?"

"Yeah. I can't believe it either." James muttered.

"How'd she do?" Teddy lay back onto James' bed. He threaded his fingers together and rested them on his chest.

""Fifth. She was going for first. She wanted it bad." James replied dejectedly. It hurt him because it hurt her.

"I'm sure that placing fifth is what hurt her the most. Not some dumb kid's words. She is stronger than that." Teddy said thoughtfully to the ceiling.

"Teddy, do you think she will forgive me?" the fourteen year old boy looked just like that, a fourteen year old boy. His features appeared broken and tired. Teddy sat up at the miserable tone his younger brother spoke with. He pulled the boy to nestle him to his side. He planted a kiss on top of the messy locks.

"Lily can be counted on for three things. One, she will always be able to make everyone laugh. Two, she will always be able to kick your ass if you piss her off. And three, once she puts you in her heart, that is where you will stay." Teddy spoke with a softness that was soothing, "Does that answer that?" James nodded into Teddy shoulder.

"Teddy!" a high voice shouted up the stairs. A quick squeeze and the Hit Wizard released his younger sibling.

"Alright there?" he trained his emerald green orbs on ones of forest green. James nodded again, "Coming Lils!" Teddy called out his response to his bossy sister. With a quick ruffle of James' hair, Teddy pushed off the bed and went downstairs to greet the petite red head with a grin.

"Teddy, mum wants to know if you are heading over to the Burrow with us." Lily said before Teddy lifted her. She squeaked as he swung her over to rest on his hip. One arm instinctively went around his back to rest her hand on his shoulder. The other hand laid on her hip as her features morphed into a grimace.

"My, you look like Aunt Ginny more and more each time I come and visit. Even picked up her frown that she uses to scold me." Teddy gave her cheek a peck as he made his way to the kitchen.

"I am scolding you, Edward Remus Lupin!" she replied in a severe tone. Teddy schooled his features into a pout, "You put me down!" the pout quickly turned into a sly grin.

"I probably should. Have you gotten bigger since the summer?" Lily narrowed her hazel eyes at her oldest brother, "Oh, I'm just playing." he said. Another quick peck on her cheek and Teddy eased her down gently.

"You know it is rude and inappropriate to ask a girl about her weight, Teddy." she scolded. Teddy's cheeks were tinged light pink. Lily nodded her head in accomplishment before she turned to enter the den to sit by Albus. Oh how Teddy loved being home.

"I once asked why Albus and James let her push them around like she does." Scorpius said from the kitchen entryway. Teddy looked into his electric blue eyes, letting him finish his thought, "I was told that they didn't let her push them around. She has a way about her. I think all you men let her be that bossy because it is amusing to see her look so accomplished. That smug look makes you want to chuckle, doesn't it?" Teddy headed for the kitchen before he replied.

"I've grown up around Weasley women; hell, I married one. I'm smart enough not to stoke that fire unnecessarily. Plus, indulging Lily results in being in her good graces. That keeps you from getting a swift kick to the shins or worse." the metamorphmagus explained to the blonde, "And she knows I have a weakness for chocolate. I play along like she can boss me around and she always gives me half of any chocolate bar she gets." Teddy threw a wink over his shoulder. Scorpius shot the wizard an incredulous look.

"Don't fret about it Scor. Lily knows that game and is happy to play along." James assured his friend that Lily was, in fact, not being manipulated out of chocolate.

"Teddy! Where are you?" Ginny's voice floated from the library.

"Coming, Aunt Ginny!" Teddy called as he pushed past the two teens.

"Hey Lil, Al, we need to get ready for Grandmum's." James reminded his younger siblings of the time. Scorpius followed James up to his room.

* * *

When the Potter crew arrived at the Burrow, they were assaulted with red heads in varying shades. The children ran off to go outside for their customary Christmas snowball fight. Seeing as it was Scorpius' first Potter/Weasley Christmas, he was perplexed when he was shoved out the door and immediately with snow. The shocking cold froze his mind temporarily. Then his self-preservation instincts soon had him slinging snowballs at all manner of red heads.

Until he heard a pained cry after he lobed a particularly large ball of snow.

"Miss Potter, are you alright?" he inquired with worry laced in his words. He crunched through the snow to her side where he found her gripping her shoulder with a pained expression.

He reached over to put a hand on her uninjured shoulder when quick as lightening, he found himself on flat on his stomach with her knee in his back. Lily began smashing snow in Scorpius' face. She was giggling uncontrollably while he started sputtering and coughing.

Then the white washing deceased just as suddenly as it had begun.

"Ahh, Rose! I yield!" Lily screamed. A mass of red curls was on top of her, dumping snow anywhere Rose could reach. She laughed maniacally.

"Oh no! I will not be falling for the hogwash this time Lily Potter!" she yelled through her laughter.

"Lucy! Help!" the shriek was plagued with laughter falsifying the urgent need for back up.

The battle continued until all the participants were breathless and rosy cheeked. The war had lasted hours and no one had been spared. Everyone was sopping wet and chilled to the bone. Sweat and melted snow ran down faces and into eyes. It had been a glorious and fierce battle indeed!

"Children, dinner!" Angelina called from the back door. A thundering of snow crunching and excited shouting could be heard as the brood came pouring into the house in a flurry of snow and water.

After drying charms were tossed by parents to children, the adults took their seats at the massive table. An older children's table had been set up in the den where the teenagers helped younger cousins and siblings bring plates of heaping servings of Christmas dinner to. Soon, the sounds of raucous chatter and cutlery could be heard through the many levels of the Burrow.

"Are you enjoying your time at Uncle Harry's, Malfoy?" Louis asked from across the transfigured table. Scorpius glanced up from his plate of food. The lanky seventeen year old looked genuinely curious. His bright blue eyes held no malice. Scorpius swallowed his food.

"Mister and Missus Potter are wonderful. They have been very gracious. However, my best friend and host has been awful and very rude." the corners of his lips twitched as he kept his features cool.

"Hey!" James exclaimed indignantly.

"Did y'know, when we arrived at King's Cross Station, he suggested that I sit in the front seat of the car while he snuggled in the back and slept. He wanted to make his dad talk to me or have an awkward drive to Grimmauld Place." the blonde had continued, ignoring the auburn haired boy's outburst. Louis began laughing along with those that heard the teasing remark, "Mate, I don't need to see your food before you swallow it. Close your mouth." James promptly snapped his jaw shut.

Dinner continued. The hum was constant, only broken with loud laughter. A warm and joyful mood descended upon the Burrow. In addition to Scorpius Malfoy, the Scamanders were present. Rolf and Luna Scamander were accompanied by their twin boys, Lorcan and Lysander. They were the youngest of all the children. Lysander had a tendency to seemingly speak non-sensical gibberish. And Loracan was a painfully shy boy who had his brother to speak for him most of the day. They got along with the Potters and Weasleys, mainly because they have been around them since birth.

"Lilium! My flower baby, come give Aunty Luna a kiss!" a soft voice flowed over the loud hum of the festivities. Lily excused herself and entered the dining room, a big grin plastered on her petite features.

"Aunty Namesake!" Lily bounced over to Luna and fell into the outstretched arms. Dirty blonde mixed with flaming red as the two petite females squeezed each other.

"Happy Christmas, my flower baby. How are you today?" the pale skinned woman looked down at her niece in everything but blood. The other adults continued their own conversations.

"Happy Christmas, Aunty. I'm grand. I got your lovely bottle cap earrings. I can't wait to wear them to school!" Lily replied as she climbed into Luna's lap, "Did you enjoy your trip to China?"

"Very much so. I got to see, in intimate detail, a pair of Chinese Fireballs mating. Their habits differ a great deal from those in captivity." Luna replied with a wink. Ron choked on his pumpkin juice and Lily giggled at her uncle's misfortune at eaves dropping on the conversation.

"Luna, please don't go further into your findings with my daughter. My brother might fall over dead if you do that." Ginny said with a knowing smile.

"Serves him right for dropping eaves on a conversation not his own." Lily told her mother. Luna gave her goddaughter a soft smile before she planted a kiss on her temple. Everyone ignored the reddening of Ron's ears.

"In all seriousness, yes, I did enjoy my trip to China. Thank you for asking, my sweet girl." she lifted the red head from her lap, "Now run along and finish your dinner, love." Lily kissed the blonde witch's cheek before she bounced away with a suppressed grin.

"Honestly Ronald, you have known Luna for decades now and you still haven't learnt to mind your own? How thick are you?" Ginny chastised her brother with a gleeful grin. Ron grumbled into his plate incoherently as Luna giggled softly.

Plates began to disappear and everyone in the crooked house lulled into soft conversation. Eggnog with brandy was passed around the adults. The children were offered plain eggnog as they gathered in the den again and games of exploding snap, wizard's chess and chocolate frog cards were being exchanged amongst them. Lily and Albus were snuggled on the couch much in the same position as on James' bed. Lily had a book propped up against her thighs as she leant her back against Albus' side. Albus had one of her tiny braids twirling around his fingers as he read his charms book. Both content in the middle of the constant energy from all the younger bodies.

Then, before anyone knew it, sleeping bags and pillows were being handed out so the children could spread out on the floor. Kisses and hugs goodnight were administered to the adults and they headed upstairs to their respective old rooms with the exception of George and Ginny. While George may have accepted the loss of his brother, sleeping in their old room made his heart ache and sleep intangible. Ginny, never one to say no to the twins had swapped room with her brother so that he could continue to enjoy his Christmas with a lighter heart.

Luna and Rolf said good bye to their boys. The choice to leave the twins was made so that the next day, Boxing Day, Luna could start her shopping early for some supplies needed for a trip to Tibet. Most of the women had devised a plan to buy clothes for growing children. Ginny also needed to get more uniforms for Lily, since her ghee was starting to get too short.

After the adults were gone, the kids chose their places. Cousins settled next to cousins and quiet, sleepy whispering could be heard in the den. Soft giggles sounded every few minutes and before long, soft snores and deep breathing stilled the whispers and giggles.

"Jamie, are you awake?" Lily's quiet whisper washed over James.

"Yeah. What's wrong?" he responded just as gently. He felt Lily crawl into his sleeping bag.

"I wanted to sleep with you." she replied as she wiggled her head onto his shoulder. James grinned at her antics and shifted over to give her room.

"Firecracker, you know how much I love you, right?" James whispered into her hair.

"Yes. Now go to sleep." her whisper was sleepy. James kissed the top of her head.

"Good. I'm sorry about this morning." he said. He felt her relaxing against his side.

"I know you are. I love you, Jamie. And I forgive you." Lily mumbled sleepily.

"I love you too, Firecracker." James murmured into her hair before giving her another kiss.

Feeling happier with the knowledge that she was not mad at him about the incident with the paper, James fell into a fitful sleep; induced by a glorious snowball fight and too much food.


	8. Letters with Lily Luna Potter

_**A/N: I ain't going to even lie. I had a good time writing this chapter. I finally got my other fic out of my head. Outside on the Inside was poking my eyes out. Now that Henria has calmed down, Lily has been tickling my brain. I have actually had this chapter planned for some time now. I wanted to do a chapter where there were only owls. The argument was my favorite part.**_

_**So, next up! Easter! I love Easter!**_

_**Happy reading!**_

_**Henny, that lucky Penny!**_

* * *

**Letters with Lily Luna Potter**

_January:_

_Miss Potter,_

_While I do understand that it is your wish for me to write you on this confounded paper, I must confess it is rather humiliating. I am getting odd looks and some people are sniggering. Must I really use this paper to write you?_

_On a different note, our return to Hogwarts was not too exciting. I'm not going to comment on anything that may have happened that may have involved your family, but it did amuse me. I am sure that certain members of your family will enlighten you of any occurrences that may have happened. I will not spoil it for them, mostly seeing as it is not my place._

_Classes will resume tomorrow. When do your classes begin again? What do you even learn? I was never subjected to primary school, so I have no idea what you learn. And I didn't even think to ask you when I was there at Grimmauld Place. I'm sorry._

_Hoping to hear from you soon._

_Sincerely,_  
_Mister Malfoy_

_Firecracker,_

_How are your lessons going? Good? Great!_

_Now tell your stupid cousin that I will hex her if she does not stop snogging Kian Finnegan! I swear, if I have to see his tongue down her throat one more time, I will make sure that boy cannot have children. I shudder to think that it will be with her. Please! Spare me from having to go to Azkaban for our cousin dear!_

_Much Love,_  
_Jamie_

_Dearest Cousin,_

_I thought you fixed James?! He keeps threatening to hex Kian if he doesn't stop snogging me! LILY! Do something! Please?_

_Your Favorite Cousin,_  
_Luce_

_Mister Malfoy,_

_Classes are going great! I learn such things as muggle science and mathematics. If you can leave my brother's side for an hour, I can show you the basics. Some of them are quite fascinating. Well, seeing as I don't get to learn magic, they are fascinating to me. I really do enjoy math!_

_YES YOU MUST USE THE PAPER! I really do hate parchment and the first time I had to show a letter to my muggle friends a letter from one of my cousins, they were as very confused as to why it was on such a medieval form of paper. It is less embarrassing for me this way. Maybe you could ask Jamie how he does it. Knowing him though, he probably does it in the Common Room and glares at anyone who dares tease him about it. He does love me so!_

_I assume you are referring to the incident with Kian Finnegan? Yes, well, I didn't get many details and I am still waiting for Lucy to send me a proper letter and not one with two lines telling me my brother is an idiot. Jamie sent me a letter pleading me to fix her. I am staying out of it until I get a proper account of the 'incident'._

_Sincerely,_  
_Miss Potter_

_Jamie Love,_

_WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!_

_Love,_  
_Lily_

_Dearest Cousin,_

_WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!_

_Love,_  
_Lily_

_Dearest Cousin,_

_All right, well, Kian and I may have been in a compartment on the train and your brother may have been doing rounds on the Hogwarts Express when he happened upon us. This would make it the second time. I asked you to punch him so he would stop trying to control who I am allowed to kiss and who I am not allowed to kiss. It is so irritating! Freddie and James think they can go around and jinx any boy who looks twice at any of the girls. FIX HIM!_

_I heard a rumor that a certain Malfoy is writing letters on purple paper. Know anything about that? I saw he got a letter from the Potter owl. I highly doubt that it is your father thanking him for spending the break with you Potters. Are you sending secret love notes? Oh, you saucy minx!_

_With All My Love,_  
_Luce_

_Little One,_

_I think you need to control your poor cousin and our brother dearest. I honestly think that the two of them will not be returning home after this school term. They have been bickering like cats and dogs and I cannot get them to stop. Please, little one, try to do something. James will only listen to you. And I think, currently, he is trying his best not write you. I saw the family owl deliver him a letter, but he has not sent one in return. But every time I catch his eyes, he squirms. I think he is feeling guilty for not writing you. Try again._

_Love always,_  
_Albie_

_LUCY WEASLEY,_

_I am NOT a saucy minx! You will put those disgusting thoughts out of your head and also mind your own business!_

_But, if you must know, I did give him some paper so we could write. James finds him amusing, so I wanted to understand why. Plus, I like the magical world, just because I cannot be an active participant in it does not mean that I don't want to get to know people from it. And I wanted to know why for the last three years I get letters saying, 'Scorp and I...' and 'Scorpius and James...'. And he was very polite and kind when he stayed during Christmas Hols._

_And you want to know what I think you should do with James? Bat-bogey jinx him. Honestly, it will teach him to mind his own business. And if Fred doesn't get the picture after you do, jinx him next. And then STOP OWLING ME WITH THIS STUPID ARGUMENT! Honestly Luce, you are twelve! Why are you thinking of boys? GROSS!_

_With All My Love,_  
_Your Favorite Cousin_

_Albie Dear,_

_I think I got through to Lucy. Tell me her expression when she reads my letter. It will amuse me. I'll owl Jamie when he owls me. That will teach him to ignore my letters._

_Love Always,_  
_Little One_

_Lily,_

_WHAT THE FUCK?! Why the HELL did you tell Lucy she could bat-bogey jinx me?! What have I done to you to deserve that hell? Oh, we are so going to box this one out. I will see you at Easter!_

_Irritated by you,_  
_Fred_

_LILY LUNA POTTER,_

_WHY DID YOU TELL LUCY TO JINX ME?!_

_James Sirius Potter_

_Miss Potter,_

_I am not entirely sure what happened, but both your brother and cousin are now experiencing some serious discomfort. I have been friends with your brother for four years now and I am just finding out that all the females in your family have learnt this horrible jinx that makes huge bogies fly out of my nose?! I almost regret talking to your idiot brother on the train when I was eleven. All the girls in your family are so very frightening when they have been crossed._

_Of course, I think your brother could spare me for an hour or two and I could take a look at these muggle sciences. They sound interesting. Although, I have a sneaking suspicion they are boring. Especially after I asked James and he just snorted at me. But I am willing to look it over. Then I can pretend that I am interested whenever I visit and you haven't run away to spend the night with your friends._

_Sincerely,_  
_Mister Malfoy_

_Freddie,_

_I love you too! I will see you at Easter and kick your arse all around the Burrow._

_Love,_  
_Lily_

_James Sirius Potter,_

_GROW UP!_

_Lily Luna Potter_

_Mister Malfoy,_

_Mum taught all the girls her favored jinx. Something about your father and when they were in school. Maybe you should ask him about it. Mum and dad don't talk about their school days much. Actually, none of our family does. Unless you ask Aunt Hermione. Then she will give you a long description of her studies and how she feels jilted that she was never awarded Head Girl. Because of the things that she, Uncle Ron and dad had to do, they missed their last year of school. Dad and Uncle Ron opted out of finishing their last year, but Aunt Hermione did complete it. But because she was not technically a seventh year, she could not get Head Girl. But with all things that she has accomplished in the Ministry, she should be proud of herself._

_Jamie was never one to sit and listen to me ramble about it. That is fine. He doesn't sit there and ramble about all the spells he learns. I just hear about both of your exploits. And I mean ALL of them!_

_Sincerely,_  
_Miss Potter_

* * *

_March:_

_Firecracker,_

_Please stop ignoring my owls! I am so sorry! I've stopped trying to push Lucy around. Please write to me! Even if it is about boring mathematics! I miss your beautiful penmanship!_

_Love,_  
_Jamie_

_Little One,_

_He looks pathetic. Write him._

_Love Always,_  
_Albie_

_Albie,_

_Fine. Done._

_Love Always,_  
_Little One_

_Jamie Love,_

_Finally decided to grow up did you? Good. Because I really missed your letters. I'm not going to apologize because I didn't do anything wrong. And you all tried to make ME fix the problem! What am I supposed to do?! I'm just going to wave my imaginary wand around and make everything right again!_

_SWISH!_

_Did it work? Tell me, because I don't need every one of you ignoring me. I get terribly bored without you all telling me about lessons and terrible essays that you have to write. Now, did you apologize to Lucy?_

_Love,_  
_Firecracker_

_My Favorite Cousin,_

_I miss you! It is SO boring here. I have no one to talk to. I need a pet. Or maybe more friends. Joy has been working really hard on her training. She hardly has time to just sit and talk to me. And then you go and have an all-out war with my brother and our cousin dear. Try to find some tact in your tiny body, please._

_Love,_  
_Your Favorite Cousin_

_My Favorite Cousin,_

_Alright. I apologized to James. But I did NOT promise him that I would stop being Kian's girlfriend! And I am almost thirteen, dearest cousin. So, don't get your knickers in a twist._

_How are your secret love letters to Scorpius going? I've seen about a half dozen go his way. You two are making some progress. That is good. Tell me when the wedding is. I am your maid of honor, right?_

_Love,_  
_Your Favorite Cousin_

_Lucy,_

_You are no longer my favorite cousin. I am going to make Rose my favorite cousin. She doesn't drool over boys._

_You are so gross!_

_Lily_

_Firecracker,_

_Something odd happened. Lucy apologized to me. Do you know why?_

_And do you know why she turned Rose's hair blue for a day? Although, Rose just found it amusing, the rest of us were perplexed. What did you say to her?_

_Love,_  
_Jamie_

_Lily,_

_I was wondering if you knew the reason why Lucy would change my hair to blue. I was not perturbed by it, but it was rather shocking since I haven't really spoken to her much this term. It was a simple charm and I was able to reverse it easily later that day. It was rather fetching on me, if I am at all honest._

_Miss You,_  
_Rose Weasley_

_Rosie Posie,_

_I am sorry. I sent her a letter saying she wasn't my favorite cousin anymore and I was going to make you my favorite cousin. She was teasing me about something and I had meant it as a JOKE. But I see she took it too far. I am really sorry._

_Love,_  
_Lils_

_Jamie Love,_

_She apologized because I made her feel guilty. But I am glad to hear that you two are getting along better._

_I haven't the foggiest as to why Lucy turned Rose's hair blue._

_Love,_  
_Firecracker_

_Miss Potter,_

_How much do you and he talk? And what do you mean ALL of them?_

_I wrote my father about your mother and he told me explicitly to NEVER ask him about Ginerva Molly Potter (née) Weasley. So, maybe one day we can try to find someone who will talk about it. I am very curious now. Or, we can get our parents drunk one night and have them spill all their secrets. I really do wish that they would tell us details. It is something we should learn so we never do something like that and cause the Third Wizarding War. Or the Fourth. I don't pay attention in History of Magic. I catch up on my sleep in that class._

_Sincerely,_  
_Mister Malfoy_

_Mister Malfoy,_

_For shame! You should never fall asleep in class. History is important! That is how you learn to not make the same mistakes as our predecessors. Shame!_

_You are sounding decidedly Slytherin. That sounded like something Lucy would say. And it is a terrible idea to get my mother drunk. She tends to giggle. I shudder when she giggles. My mother does NOT giggle. She has fully belly laughs. The ones that are contagious. And my father gets handsy with my mother. There have been a few holidays where the adults have pulled out the liquor and over indulged. All of us kids ran outside to escape the chaos that is my family while inebriated. Uncles where punching each other and Aunts were giggling. And then my parents found a dark, seemingly unoccupied corner, and started to act like teenagers. A few of us children were witness. I have been scared for the rest of my life._

_Sincerely,_  
_Miss Potter_

_April:_

* * *

_Miss Potter,_

_I am sorry that I brought those terrible images to the forefront of your mind. I don't think I have ever seen my father do anything other than kiss my mother's hair in the morning at breakfast. Must be a Malfoy thing._

_Well, I hope my letter finds you enjoying your Easter Holiday. Keep James in line for me. I rather enjoy his company so I would like him to return to Hogwarts. Happy Easter, Lily Luna Potter!_

_Sincerely,_  
_Mister Malfoy_

_Mister Malfoy,_

_Happy Easter, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy!_

_I will make sure that he returns in mostly one piece. Potter/Weasley family gatherings can result in loss of limbs. But, for you, I will make sure that no one hurts him. Unless he angers me. Then I cannot make any promises._

_Sincerely,_  
_Miss Potter_


	9. An Easter at the Burrow

_**A/N: Yes, I am a horrible beast. I am sorry. I have been terribly distracted with Outsider on the Inside. Henria will not leave me a lone. I haven't even been able to concentrate on Do Not Touch Me either. I think I updated that one a month ago. So, the fact that I have gotten in two updates for Lily Luna, I feel quite accomplished. :D**_

_**Happy reading everyone!**_

_**Henny, that lucky Penny!**_

* * *

**An Easter At The Burrow**

The Potters woke on Easter morning with a buzzing excitement. The children were impatient to see their cousins and the adults were amused. Through all the buzzing, breakfast was a light event. A small meal of granola and yogurt and then the fighting happened.

Lily and James both wanted to shower first. Since Albus knew this was a common occurence on break when Scorpius was not present to distract James, he waited patiently for the raised voices heat to shouting. Seeing as their parents had left to go to the Burrow before hand to help their grandmother, he had been left to quell any such arguments. Although, seeing his brother and sister go at each other like cats and dogs was far more entertaining then standing between the two and threaten to blow his eardrums out.

"Oh no firecracker, it is my turn to go first!" James shoved her shoulder to get her out of the way. Lily glared at her brother's violent physical contact.

"Don't shove me you prat! And it is my turn!" Lily returned the favor her brother. The only problem was that he was stronger than she was. He turned an amused snort into a cough, but Lily saw through the cover-up.

"Come on Lily! You take ages in the shower!" he shouted at her. To Lily's benefit, she was unfazed by the increase in volume.

"I take ages? You take all the hot water! And I hate cold showers!" her temper finally started peaking through at the raise of her voice. James scoffed.

"So do the rest of us. But more to the point, I am going first." James gave her one more shove away from the door. Finally, the little redhead had had enough.

Lily launched herself at James and collided with his midsection. The force of the impact brought them both down to the ground. Albus straightened his leaning form from the wall and watched carefully as Lily straddled James' chest and started striking his arms as he blocked the blows to his face. A frustrated scream escaped her lips and she changed tactics. Her tiny, but powerful fists made frightening hollow sounds on his chest. Albus knew that they needed to be separated.

"All right you two!" he said as he lurched foreward. He caught Lily's wrists and twisted her arms behind her back. Changing his grip to one hand, he pinched the dainty hands between his fingers and brought his free hand around he middle.

After hauling her off of their brother, he pushed his way into the bathroom. Albus deposited her in the tub and threw on the cold water and a rush of water came from the showerhead. A surprised gasp was quickly followed by sputtering and coughing. A minute later the water was turned off and Lily was shivering in the tub, her clothing and hair plastered to her body. Albus crossed his arms in front of his chest with authority and looked down at his sister.

"Are you quite finished?" he drawled. His time in Slytherin was not a waste.

Lily sputtered water out of her mouth and sent her brother a fierce glare. Albus rolled his eyes.

"No. I'm freezing and wet. And I hate you." she grumbled.

"Good. I'm glad you have cooled off. Now, go get changed and ready for Grandmum's house. We are probably going to be late since the two of you couldn't resist bickering." Albus pulled a towel off the rack and tossed it at her face. A strangled scream came from behind the cloth and Albus sighed.

"Thank you Albus. Always the voice of reason, you are." James came up behind his brother. Albus rounded on him and pushed him out of the bathroom. James was too confused to fight his brother.

"Oh no, now you aren't getting a shower either. Go to your room and get changed. It is already half past ten and we need to be there at eleven. You two lost your chance to bathe." he scolded his older brother. James shot him defiant look, "Curse the Trace, I will hex your hair blonde and put on a permanent sticking charm and you will look like Draco Malfoy for the rest of your life if you do not get dressed now. Go, James!"

James' expression shifted to horrified and his hands automatically reached for his hair. A grumpy huff flew out of his mouth as he turned on his heel and went for his bedroom. Albus took a deep and calming breathe before he turned for the bathroom. Lily had taken the time that her brothers were distracted to stip her soaked pyjamas and wrap a towel around her body. A second towel was being wrapped around her hair. Upon hearing her brother step into the space, she snapped her eyes to his face and sent an icy glare at him.

"I thought Teddy told you never to use that move unless it was an emergency." she snapped at Albus. He snorted derisively. Lily arched an eyebrow at the noise.

"That was an emergency, little one." Albus replied quietly.

"Attempting to kill James is not an emergency." Lily stepped around Albus to head to her room to change. Albus followed her, mostly in fear she might really go after James some more.

"While you might not think so at the moment, it would be an emergency to our family." he said with a small smile. Lily stopped at her door and turned to face her brother.

"Fine! I won't kill him for the rest of the day and the rest of break. After that, I cannot promise he will live." the sparkle in her eye had Albus relaxing. She wouldn't be killing James anytime soon.

"Get dressed. We will meet downstairs in ten minutes." he ordered as he kissed her towel since it was covering the top of her head.

* * *

The Potter children soon found themselves in the den of the Burrow, being smothered by their cousins. Chocolate eggs were exchanged and then the brood was ordered to go play in the backyard so that the adults could prepare dinner in peace. Mainly, the men wanted to sip firewhiskey and let the women toil in the kitchen. Everyone knew what their intentions were and as long as the men stayed out of trouble, the women could live with it. Especially since there would be no children under foot.

The ground was still moist from the recent spring shower. That did not deter the children from running around playing tag. Giggles and the occassional scream could be heard. Although, the good time was interrupted all too soon.

"Oy! Potter!" a caramel skinned boy yelled. Three heads turned towards him, two dark haired and one flaming red.

"Which one?" James asked his cousin in confusion. Fred trained a finger at his small female cousin with the flaming hair.

"Lily. I think you have some explaining to do." Fred slowly stepped towards Lily. The hairs on the back of her neck began to rise. She had forgotten about the letter he had sent her while they were in school.

"I can't really tell you how the jinx works since I am not magically inclined. Another redheaded cousin could surely explain all that to you though." Lily responded as she took a cautious step back.

"You know what I want." Fred ignored the false ignorance, "I think I remember the words were 'I'll kick your arse all around the Burrow.'" Lily took another step back. She licked her lips in anxiety. Her body went rigid with anticipation. Her and Fred had exactly one fight a year. And it usually happened around Christmas. Snow was an excellent cushion if someone is pressing your body into it.

"Ah, yes, those words. I suppose we couldn't wait until the summer? Less mud." Lily was eyeing Fred carefully. He had gotten to about James' height since the last summer. His shoulders were broader than James'. Fred is built like a beater and that is what he was. He had made the Quidditch House team this year along with James. Being on a broom constantly had let his body fill out some.

"Not a chance, Hellfire." he grinned before he launched at Lily.

The two of them landed on the wet grass and started to try and pin each other. Lily gave up on trying to use sheer force and instead began fending off Fred's attacks as she tried to envision the flipping move. After a moment of thought, she wrapped a leg around Fred's corresponding one, placed a hand on his opposite shoulder. A quick shove and a simultanious shift of weight, Fred had rolled on his back and Lily pressed fisted knuckles on tender muscles under his arms. A knee hovered dangerously close to his male anatomy while the other was jabbed into his ribs.

"Yield?" Lily gasped through huffs of air. She was winded from the fall and effort of flipping someone so much bigger than her.

When he didn't answer right away, she applied more pressure to the soft flesh of his underarms. Fred grunted at the pain and then blew out a defeated breathe of air.

"I yield." he whispered.

Lily scrambled away quickly so he could not change his mind. Fred laid in the wet grass for a moment more before he slowly got up. Lily kept her eyes trained on his form and waited for him to talk before she did anything else.

"Why'd you tell Lucy to jinx James and I?" he inquired as he started brushing off the grass that was sticking to his clothing. Lily watched his every move in case it was a ploy. Some of her cousins may have been in the Gryffindor House, but they held Slytherin tendencies in their brave little bodies.

"You two wouldn't let her be. I merely gave her the idea to do it since I already broke James' nose about it. Plus, you all were annoying me with your petty argument. I'm eleven. I don't care about boys. Boys are gross." Lily replied. She finally felt her limbs relax. If he was going to keep attacking her, he would have continued by now. Nothing aside from pranking held Fred Weasley's attention for long.

"Alright, fine. We good, Hellfire?" Fred slid his dark chocolate brown eyes over to her hazel ones. Lily thought for a moment before a wide smile crossed her face.

"Of course, Freddie." she replied before she flung her arms around his neck. Fred chuckled into her neck as he wrapped his arms around the middle of her back to return the embrace, "I love you." she mumbled into his shoulder.

"I love you too, Lils." he responded.


	10. Growing with Lily Luna Potter

**_A/N: So, I know this doesn't make me popular, but I am SO SORRY THAT IT HAS TAKEN ME THIS LONG TO UPDATE!_**

**_Like I said last chapter, I was working exclusively on Outsider on the Inside for the last two months. And NOW IT IS FINISHED! If you are looking for a flare of the dark and depraved, I would look into that one. There is action, cussing, brutality and Battle of Hogwarts. But it is fluffy sometimes. This is probably my most fluffy story. So, if you are looking for something to occupy your time, you can check it out on my profile. And it is a completed work so no waiting for two months for an update. (Again, I am so sorry. I just couldn't get Henria out of my head. She is so pushy.)_**

**_We are starting to make headway on Lily growing up. :D I hope this is what you have been waiting for!_**

**_Happy reading!_**

**_Henny, that lucky Penny!_**

* * *

**Growing with Lily Luna Potter**

_Dear Miss Potter,_

_I hope that you were just as excited about seeing James and Albus as they were about seeing you. They talked about nothing else on the train. If I didn't find you just as fascinating, I would have been bothered. So, I hope it was a happy reunion._

_I was just pondering what you could possibly be up to for the Summer Hols. I know that you keep up with your training; James was complaining about how he has to take you to the gym during the summer. But other than that, I don't know what else you get up to. I am normally found in the back, flying around on my broom. I practice dives or just fly to get a breeze. I do find the heat to be stifling at times and like to wait it out in the air._

_I hope to hear from you soon._

_Sincerely,  
__Mister Malfoy_

* * *

"James and I find it odd that you two are so formal." Albus commented after he was done reading Lily's letter from over her shoulder. A nudge from her sharp elbow had him wincing and rubbing the spot tenderly.

"Well, we don't know each other. It only makes sense." she responded as she set the letter aside to finish her breakfast.

"Then just call each other Malfoy and Potter. It's like Zabini and I at school. Only, we just hate each other. He calls me Potter and I call him Zabini." Albus shrugged his shoulders. Lily rolled her eyes. She hated Zabini too since Lucy told her what he had said about her. If they ever were to see each other, Lily would break his nose and rub the fact that she could break his nose in his stupid, pureblood face. Honestly, the war is over and no one is better than anyone.

"Being formal is what we do. Leave it be, Albie." Lily said with a resigned sigh. Albus put his hands up in a placating manner.

"Fine. You two be odd together." he replied as he pushed from the table and brought his dirty plate and fork to the sink.

"Who's being weird together?" James ask groggily.

"Little one and Malfoy." Albus replied before he dashed out of the kitchen to avoid a hot glare. James stiffened at the implied friendship of his sister and his friend.

"How are you two being weird?" he questioned with an edge to his tone. Lily pushed from the table to place her plate and fork in the sink as well.

"When we write to each other. He and I formally address each other." she responded with a shrug of her shoulders, "I'll be ready in an hour. Mum left you pancakes in the oven. There is a stasis charm she said." Lily informed her brother.

"Thank you. Give a shout when you are ready." he ordered as he eyed a piece of purple paper. Now he understood why Albus was complaining. Lily caught him looking at something and followed his gaze. When she realized it was her letter, Lily snatched it up so James couldn't read it.

"I don't read your mail, you don't get to read mine." she hissed. James just arched an eyebrow at her. Lily ignored the look and marched out of the kitchen to write a letter and prepare for going to the gym.

* * *

_Dear Mister Malfoy,_

_My summer so far is well. Yes, my brothers and I had the grand reunion that they had blabbed about on the train. I know that it is hard to listen to them gush about their impaired sister, but they are probably excited they can talk to you about me. It is hard since they only used to talk to our family about me, but they already know everything. The joys of being a close knit family._

_How is your summer going?_

_I can usually be found at the gym. Jamie will drop me off and then wander around the muggle stores. Or he and Albie might get ice cream while I work out. They never venture far since I am so 'defenseless' and petite. Sometimes I wish I had been born first so they wouldn't hover so. But it nice to know that they care enough to be close. Again, having a close knit family is bothersome, but nice._

_If I am not at the gym, I can be found at my friend Joy's house. While I love my brothers, I do like to be away from them. They get like that sometimes too, but it is hard for them to leave me be. Being different just causes them to worry more. I don't know how many times I need to punch them until they figure out I can care for myself. But, they who they are._

_What else do you do besides fly your broomstick? Do you have any other hobbies besides flying, or friends you occupy your time with?_

_Try and keep cool! I hear it is going to be a scorcher this year!_

_Sincerely,  
__Miss Potter_

* * *

The month after she had written Scorpius had been filled with sweaty gym work outs and hot showers. The days were hotter and the nights were more humid. Her birthday became progressively closer and Lily was getting progressively more excited. Turning twelve meant that she would be considered in a new age group for competitions. That also meant that going to the gym would be an even more serious affair. Lily couldn't wait to start to train harder and meaner. Lily wanted to win first place in five months. She was determined to win.

James was getting increasingly more excited also. Scorpius would be coming to visit during Lily's birthday week. He was excited to show him around the muggle neighborhood and the shops when his sister is at the gym. When he had made sure it was all right with Lily, she seemed excited. James tried to push it from his mind since he didn't want to spoil a good thing, but it nagged him. He was enjoying that they were getting along, but he was still the older brother. His instincts told him that they becoming friends was going to be a bad thing. What if Lily let him twirl her hair around his finger like Albus? Or what if Scorpius sat by her feet like he did?

Could he handle being replaced by his best friend?

He periodically had to shake his head of those disturbing thoughts. Lily would never replace her brothers, James was sure of that. They were best friends. They knew everything about each other. Well, James and Albus never discussed girls with Lily. She wouldn't be level headed about it. Did Lily have the same worries about girls that James had about boys? Did she fear being replaced by some flavor of the week? Not that James Sirius Potter would ever treat a girl like that. His father had talked to him about how to treat a girl. Most importantly, he had _shown _James how to treat girls. Harry Potter loved his wife wholly and completely. And James saw that and respected it.

As James sat in the hot, humid gym, watching Lily attack a punching bag like it was trying to steal her favorite toy, he couldn't help but wonder if she would ever accept a girl that James found attractive. When he saw her punch the bag in an aggressive move, he realized she would not. He wondered how Albus handled the thought of Lily dating. Would Albus be the level headed one that he normally is? Would Albus be able to handle letting another boy be responsibly for Lily's safety? Would he be his cool, calm self if this mysterious boy in the future touched their Lily?

No, that wasn't like any of the Potter men. They would never be able to handle that.

Merlin's beard, she can't turn twelve! Because once she turns twelve, she will turn thirteen! And then fourteen! And then she will be bringing muggle boys home and James and Albus wouldn't even be able to threaten him properly with magic because he would be a muggle! It was at that moment in the gym that James was less excited for his sister turning twelve. James felt a wave of panic go through his system. The shock of realizing that his sister wasn't going to stay this small forever hit him like a bludger in the face. James felt sick.

"Jamie, what's wrong?" Lily's voice pushed his troubling thoughts to the back. He felt the sweat beads collecting on his brow and wiped them away hastily.

"Nothing." James replied quickly, "Just really hot here. How is the work out going, firecracker?" he tried to get around the nauseous feeling rolling in his stomach.

"Great! I just finished. Are you sure you all right? You look like you are going to be sick!" Lily was peering into his forest green eyes with concern.

"I'm fine. Let's go then? Where is your bag?" he inquired as he rose from his place on the floor.

"If you say so. I'll go fetch it and then we can push off." Lily replied, sill looking at him with concern. He was really green in the face.

After she collected her belongings, the pair left into the blazing sun. Despite her vigorous exercise with the bag, Lily walked with a bounce in her step and it made James smile dotingly at her. Her bright personality was always a mood lifter for him. He loved that in lieu of her perceived disability, she was still a happy girl. It helped that none of their family never treated her like she had a disability. She may not understand how magic worked, but growing up around it didn't make her ignorant of it. She just let it happen around her and never made it a concern. She may not understand how a swish of a wand was different than a flick, but she understood other things. She understood love and caring. She understood family and marriage bonds. And she understood words.

Her understanding of both worlds helped her be comfortable with the fuzzy feeling of magic swirling around her.

And that just made James love her even more.

"Did you have fun?" James asked as they neared their home. Lily smiled brightly at him.

"Oh yes! I can feel myself getting stronger! I can't wait for classes to begin again! I think I am going to ask Joy to join me next week. I haven't seen her much at the gym. And then we could spar!" Lily babbled excitedly. James grinned widely as he opened the door for his sister.

"Albus? We're home!" James called.

"I'm going to hop into the shower and then I will fix some sandwiches for us." Lily stated as she toed off her sneakers. James hummed his positive response and went in search of his younger brother. He wanted to discuss somethings while she cleaned off her work out.

As James meandered through their huge house, he tried to organize his thoughts. His worries were creeping back into his mind. He would be turning fifteen next month and he could feel his body changing. He realized he was sprouting muscles in places he never knew muscles grew. He could feel hormones starting to spring up in his body. He had caught himself looking at particular assets that girls possess and it worried him that other boys were getting the same feelings. He knew his sister was a pretty little girl, but pretty little girls grow into beautiful young women and the same jealous thoughts were clouding his brain. He needed to talk to someone who cared about Lily the same way he did about them.

It was frustrating being an older brother.

He found his chestnut haired brother in the library, writing an essay for charms. He had a few books spread out on the coffee table and ink stains on his fingertips. Albus had his brow scrunched in concentration as he tried to figure out all the spell affects of some hefty concealment charms. James smirked at his emerald green eyed brother. All he had to do was owl their Aunt Hermione about those. She had mastered concealment charms before she was twenty. But James knew his brother. The thrill of finding the information himself in dusty books was like an adventure in itself for Albus.

"Hey Albus." James interrupted Albus' musing softly so not to startle him. Albus turned his gaze from the book in front of him to his brother, "Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah, just a second. Let me finish this passage and I will be right with you." he murmured his response as his eyes, so much like their father's, shifted back to the book.

James slowly made his way to the overstuffed chair that he favored while in the library. While he used the books in this room for nefarious reasons, he still liked to curl up with a book every now and again in the chair. It was excellent for when he had trouble sleeping and he just needed a book to turn his mind off. The chair was soft and it swallowed his body and wrapped him in comfort. He needed some comfort right now.

Albus sensed his brother's worry and skimmed through the paragraph quickly until he found the words he was looking for. He quickly made note of them in his essay and began making his books so he could return to them when he could. After finishing marking pages, he stacked the books neatly and put a stopper in his ink pot. He looked up to find his brother in his more favored chair. He rose from the floor and padded softly over to the chair next to his brother. He was anxious about what was making his brother so frazzled. It wasn't like James to take life too seriously.

"What's wrong, James?" Albus spoke softly. James stared at the floor while his forehead had a single crease in it.

"She is turning twelve! Do you know what happens when she turns twelve?" James talked to the floor. Albus felt like he missed something.

"She is placed in the next level for the Christmas tournament?" he answered uncertainly.

"She turns thirteen!" James exclaimed, finally training his gaze onto his brother. Albus saw the worry in his forest green eyes. He never saw that in those eyes. James hardly worried about anything. His carefree attitude came from his namesake. Their father told them that Granddad James was a vibrant boy with naught a care while he was in school. He rode with the waves of change and smiled more than frowned.

"I don't understand. How is this a bad thing? We both turned thirteen. I think we both have fared pretty well." Albus shrugged his shoulder, unconcerned with the knowledge that their sister was growing.

And then it hit him.

She was getting older.

James saw the realization leak into his brother's features as he began to piece together the puzzle that was muddling his mind. James watched as the bright green orbs dimmed slightly in thought. Albus looked to be mulling over the taste of the words behind his eyes. James hated the taste of those words. They were bitter and sour. They made his mouth go dry and fuzzy. In a whole, they made him nervous.

"Well, we knew that she would do that. All children grow up." Albus continued slowly, "We can't change that. She can't change that. I can see why her growing up would make you nervous, but terrified? Come on, James. You know how she is. Lily would break your nose, again, for trying to control her."

"She is going to be dating soon!" James tried to talk through the cotton feeling in his mouth, "I can't handle imagining anyone laying hands on her. It makes me sick to my stomach. Why aren't you more concerned?"

"Well, I'm very concerned about it. But it is Lily. She wouldn't need to hex us if we ever made a boy run away. Never mind that she can't use magic, just the thought of her kicking my knee in sends shudders down my spine. I think you are thinking too far into it, James. She has proven time and again that she can deal with irritants herself. Her brothers and most of her male cousins are bigger and stronger than her. She has no trouble bringing us to our knees and begging for mercy. I would be more worried for any boy she chooses to go steady with. What a nightmare for him." Albus tried to soothed the green pallor on his brother's cheeks.

James sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up in the back.

"I don't know. I just get images of some faceless prat, twisting her hair around his finger. Or him sitting by her feet as they read books. It bothers me." James braised his elbows on his knees as he leaned over. His face was cradled in his palms.

"Honestly, she still thinks boys are gross. I think we have many more years before we are threatening young men who come calling to pick her up to take her to a film." Albus was trying to calm the pictures that his brother placed in his head. Only he gets to twirl strands of hair around his fingers. Only James gets to sit by her feet when they are relaxing around the house. No one else. The faceless prat was making Albus' cool fade.

"She still thinks boys are gross?" James asked hopefully.

"Yes. I asked Lucy about it. She said that Lily doesn't want to hear about kissing Kian anymore. Lucy likes to tease her about it. She turned thirteen in February, y'know." Albus rubbed the back of his neck. He left a smear of ink. James looked relieved.

"Finnegan shouldn't be anywhere near her. I suppose I will be hexing him when we get back to Hogwarts." James muttered, "But that is a different discussion for another time."

"James, honestly, she is only twelve. We have a good two or three years before she even starts to think about boys. By then, we will have a speech and it will be intimidating and embarrassing." Albus said softly, "Let's go get some lunch. Mum said it was leftovers for tonight. Maybe we can convince Lily to make some sandwiches for dinner also." James sighed.

"I suppose you are right." he said as he lifted his thin frame from his comfortable chair, "Maybe I can convince Teddy to help."

* * *

_Dear Mister Malfoy,_

_I'm glad to hear that you have stayed cool. I have not been so fortunate, but that is because I spend most of my time in a hot, sweaty gym. Although, all my hard work has been paying off. I feel really good, but a little sore._

_James has been getting excited. He has been talking about you more. He almost can't wait for you to get here. And you get to celebrate my birthday with me! He isn't excited about that part. I heard him talking to Albus and they were complaining about how I was getting older. They don't want me to start dating. I don't see myself doing that anytime soon. I work too much on my Muay Thai to think about boys. I know it sounds odd, but I don't even really look at them. Not that you care, but I just needed to tell someone. All my male cousins get up in arms if the word 'boy' leaves my mouth. And Lucy gets annoying. She is boy crazy and keeps telling me about kissing Kian Finnegan. It is horrible. Why can't my family be normal?_

_Well, we will be seeing you soon! Stay cool until then!_

_Sincerely,  
Miss Potter_


	11. Exploring with Scorpius Malfoy

**Exploring with Scorpius Malfoy**

The floo sounded and James made his way from the kitchen to the den quickly. Of course, being a Malfoy, Scorpius would arrive early. It annoyed his best friend to no end when they would arrive to class late because James had no sense of time management. Well, he really didn't care about time management. If they wanted children to arrive to class on time, they shouldn't make classrooms so far apart.

Scorpius was dusting soot from his trousers when James entered the den. A big grin erupted on the young Potter's face. Merlin did he miss having his partner in crime at his side! Scorpius finished the tedious task and lifted his gaze to meet sparkling forest green orbs. His pale, pointy features mirrored his friend's. A quick nod of heads and James was leading his friend up to his room. Scorpius opted, again, not to take one of the many guest rooms that were empty. Late nights were more fun in the privacy of James' room.

"Glad to see you, Scor." James commented as they ascended the stairs. The blonde wizard made a noise of agreement, "Although, I have to warn you, my sister doesn't want to change our schedule and has insisted that I take her to the gym. She's been annoying all morning, whining about this and that. My mum is at practice today and dad already left for work."

"'Tis fine. I wouldn't want to disrupt the very active lives of the Potters." Scorpius teased lightly. James scoffed in mock offence.

"JAMES!" a shrill voice called from downstairs. James rolled his eyes as he opened his bedroom door.

"Ignore her. She's insufferable today." he muttered as the two boys entered the room.

"It's hard when she shrieks like a banshee." Scorpius responded as he set his trunk in the corner of his friend's room. The boys heard footsteps pounding up the stairs.

"Oh Merlin, prepare for a storm." the auburn haired youth murmured quietly before a flash of red bounded into the space.

"I'm going to be late-" Lily began before she stopped short. She eyed the blonde wizard standing next to her brother curiously, "You're early. Jamie said you wouldn't be here for another two hours."

"And it's a pleasure to see you too, Miss Potter." Scorpius drawled that sounded very close to his father's. Lily smirked at their guest's teasing.

"I'm sure. Will you be joining us at the gym then?" she inquired, still smirking. Scorpius took in her appearance. She was dressed in sweatpants and an old Quidditch kit, charmed without the customary House emblem. Although, _Potter_ was scrawled across her back proudly in gold on a plane of scarlet. Scorpius was curious since James had been on the team for two years, but the jersey was much too faded to be from his second year.

"Is that your father's kit?" Scorpius worded his musings. The smirk was replaced with a small smile. Lily drew her shoulders back to puff out her chest proudly.

"Yes. It is from his first year on the team. I'm so small that James' was almost a dress on me. Dad was a small boy when he first got to Hogwarts. Mum charmed the Gryffindor crest from the front so I wouldn't get odd questions." she announced proudly, "Are you going to the gym?" she asked again.

"Yes. I was just setting my trunk down." he replied. Lily nodded her head once and turned her attention to her brother.

"Are we ready then? My bag is downstairs. And didn't Albie say he was coming too?" the words tumbled out her mouth in a rush, almost like she was getting impatient with all the waiting.

"I did say I would be going too." a new voice from the doorway had three heads turning to the middle Potter. Albus was leaning casually on the door frame, looking very much at ease.

"Excellent!" James exclaimed before leading the foursome out of the room, "Let's shove off then!"

The small group left Number 12 Grimmauld Place for the rec center. The hot sun was making a slow crawl up to high noon. The sidewalks were beginning to heat up from the unforgivable light. Lily was skipping ahead of the three wizards. The boys were chatting quietly, comparing rumors from school. They contained mostly who was dating who and which girl was looking fit. Albus had little input, since he was the younger of the trio. He was still mostly into Quidditch, but hormones were still hormones. His fourteen year old body was starting to take notice of the finer things in life.

"Firecracker! Did you want a sundae?" James had called to his sister. After her answer of 'no', he turned to the other boys, "Mum only gave me enough muggle money for three sundaes since she didn't think Scorpius would arrive so early. I'm assuming that Lily is going to have some ice cream at home after her shower."

"We are just leaving her at the gym?" Scorpius inquired with wide eyes. He wasn't used to the idea of leaving little people at places to fend for themselves.

"It's not too big of a deal. The rec center has monitors. Plus, the ice cream parlor isn't too far. It is just so boring watching her beat a bag up." James replied with a small shrug of his shoulders.

"Most of the other kids who go there already know her. A lot of them are from her class and school. She is hardly ever alone." Albus added. He knew what the blonde boy was feeling. The first time that James had suggested they go get ice cream while Lily was at the rec center, he nearly fell over in shock. He flat out refused to leave little Lily all by herself. But when he noticed that the muggles paid her no mind while she did her activities, he felt better about being able to step out of the stuffy area and breath some fresh air.

"If you think so." Scorpius sounded uncertain, but trusted his friend to know what was best. He felt uncomfortable with the idea, but flashes of Christmas went through his mind and he reasoned that if Lily could do those moves, no one would bother to mess with her.

"Plus, I'm meeting Joy there. She and I are going to spar today!" a high voice interrupted Scorpius' thoughts. The boys didn't notice that she had dropped back to walk with them. Her hazel eyes were shining with excitement, "She has been hanging out with some of her friends from school and has been itching to visit a mat. I volunteered to be her sparring partner."

"How is Joy doing?" Albus asked quietly. Lily hadn't mentioned her recently. While the family hadn't noticed, Albus did and he was worried that his sister had had a falling out with the muggle girl.

"She is great. She complained about how her friends had been distracting her. I told her that I was happy she branched out. She can be so shy around other kids." Lily responded, "I think she is mostly upset about missing the tournament last year." Lily added.

"Well, I am glad that she is able to come today and train a bit with you." Albus said as they entered the center.

The group blinked their eyes at the change of lighting. The unnatural light had Scorpius blinded as he tried to get his eyes to adjust. He wasn't as experienced with fluorescent bulbs as the Potters. The dimness was foreign and had confused his pupils. When his vision acclimated, he saw a girl roughly the same size as Lily, waving excitedly from a blue mat. She appeared to be stretching and after Lily returned the gesture, she bent over at the waist and held her hands over her head. The move was very intriguing for the pureblood wizard. He didn't know that the human body could do that!

"Go eat come delicious frozen treats! I love you both. And please, stay out of trouble." Lily ordered with a small smile. Her brothers returned the smile before placing light kisses on her cheeks. She giggled at their affection.

"I love you too, little one." Albus murmured quietly before heading towards the door.

"Love you too, firecracker. Have fun!" James called over his shoulder as he followed his brother.

"Keep those two in line, Mister Malfoy." Lily gave Scorpius a small wave good bye.

"I'll do my best, Miss Potter. But I won't make any promises. I can be just as mischievous as those two." he gave her a wink before following the Potter boys and leaving the red head to her own devices.

The trio meandered past a few shops before coming to ice cream parlor. Albus held the door open for his two companions. The air was cool despite the number of people eating frozen treats. Scorpius felt very misplaced. It was a peculiar sight to see so many humans not dressed in robes. The varying degrees in which men, women and children were dressed was an odd sight too. Shorts and tank tops were a popular choice to battle the heat. Bodies were huddled together at tables. Albus spotted an empty table with three chairs.

"James, could you get me a sundae with chocolate syrup and peanuts?" he asked as he eyed the open table closely, "I'll go and grab that table." and he started to push past over heated bodies and sticky hands. Scorpius glanced around, enthralled at the activity in the shop.

"Have you decided what you want, mate?" James nudged his friend to distract him from the hub-bub of the small space.

"What you are having." he replied quietly. The feeling of being misplaced was growing as he took in more of the gaggles of muggles.

"Alright. I'll order the sundaes and you go to Albus. He might need help fighting for the table." the darker haired boy gave the blonde a gentle shove towards the table his brother was reserving.

Scorpius made his way through the crowd. He tried to avoid touching as many people as he could. The smell of dried sweat was the most common choice of perfume. He had to fight the urge to crinkle his nose at it. It's not that he didn't like muggles, but he had heard the rumors from those purebloods in the Slytherin house about muggle diseases and germs. He was afraid he would catch something incurable and fatal.

"Try not to look too disturb about the muggles." Albus' quiet voice held a note of disdain. The blonde sat down opposite of the Slytherin boy.

"I'm not." Scorpius tried to sound convincing. Even he could hear the hint of the lie.

"If you say so, Malfoy." the younger boy smirked at his companions discomfort.

"And here is yours, Albus." James interrupted the tense moment by placing a one scoop sundae with chocolate syrup drizzled on top. The bits of peanuts were sliding down the sides, "And a caramel one for my dear friend." he continued as he sidled up next to Scorpius and placed the cool snack down for his friend and set a matching one for himself.

"Scorp is afraid of the muggles." Albus commented nonchalantly. Scorpius sputtered out a breathe.

"Wake up on the wrong side of a hippogryph, Al?" James teased with a raised eyebrow. Albus answered with an unconcerned shrug of his shoulders, "Forgive my brother, good sir. His raging hormones are making him more angst like than normal." Albus roll his eyes, but didn't comment.

"It's fine." Scorpius replied softly.

The three ate their ice cream silently. Scorpius observed the muggles with interest. They looked like wizards. They talked like wizards. Although, Scorpius could hear the difference in casual expressions. Most confused him and he was lost in their conversations. But he subtly studied them. There were hardly any differences. The one glaring difference was they had to use their hands as wizards were more likely to use their wands to complete most tasks. _We are not much different, muggles and wizards._ Scorpius' eyes widened at that thought.

"Are we ready to go wander back to the rec center? Knowing Lily, she is almost done." James asked around his last bite of ice cream. Scorpius swallowed his mouthful of creamy sweetness and nodded. Albus was scraping the edges of his bowl with his spoon, but hummed his positive response.

The three boys cleaned their spoons and placed their bowls on the counter. They weaved their way out of the little parlor and into the bright sun. They squinted at the sudden light and the heat assaulted their lungs. They began their slow journey back to the gym to check on the tiny red headed girl. Scorpius peered into windows as they passed various shops. He studied the wacky spray painted words on walls and old signs. Alleyways were shadowed and dirty. Scorpius found it all intriguing.

As they entered the dimly lit gym, Scorpius found himself, yet again, blinking and squinting a lot. He tried to fight with his eyes to adjust faster and more smoothly. It frustrated him that the muggles didn't have a better light source, like torches or candles. But that was neither here nor there and his eyes adjusted slowly. He began taking in all the sweaty clothes and varying degrees of physical fatigue. He spotted the Lily and her friend in the back on a mat, seemingly rolling together on the floor. Tiny grunts of exertion floated down to the three boys. The trio made their way to the mat.

As they gathered around the blue vinyl floor covering, the small pair switch power with Joy on the bottom and Lily on top. Joy growled in frustration while Lily's face was scrunched in concentration. Suddenly, a look of surprise flitted across the Potter girl's face and she was flipped and rolled onto her stomach. Joy pressed a knee into her back and pinned her wrists to the mat. Lily grunted in pain as the knee gradually applied more pressure, waiting for Lily to concede.

"Yield." the tiny red head said through clenched teeth. Her pride taking a bigger hit than her back.

Joy lifted her small frame from the floor, quickly taking her knee out of her friend's back. Lily stayed on the mat for a second. going over the grappling and wondering where she went wrong. Her expression was thoughtful as Scorpius watched her. Albus and James were muttering to themselves about something or another. And Joy was sitting on the mat, breathing hard with her arms around her knees and her hands loosely clasped together.

"Lils?" the curly dirty blonde girl looked at her friend with a creased brow.

"I'm all right. I'm just wondering what happened." Lily waved her hand flippantly at her friend, unconcerned, "What did happen?"

"One of the older kids showed me a trick to distract an opponent." Joy answered with a small shrug of her shoulders. Lily narrowed her eyes.

"I see." she said quietly. Lily looked and finally spotted her brothers and Scorpius, "Oh! How long have you been there?"

"Long enough, firecracker." James replied with a smirk. Lily dropped her head into her hands in shame. A small groan escaped her lips.

"It's fine. Now you have a goal, little one." Albus soothed as he knelt down to twirl some of her hair from her ponytail. Her shoulders relaxed a bit at her brother's ministrations.

"Want to get some ice cream?" James asked his sister, seeing that she was calming down.

"Yeah, Lily, I'm going to head home. I need shower." Joy commented as she stood up. Lily pushed herself up slowly, so as to not hit Albus.

Albus offered his sister a hand up. While Albus was cool and dry, Lily was hot and moist. She hissed at the coolness of his hand. So much different in temperature that it was a shock to her. Albus almost recoiled at how hot his sister's hand was. It was surprising how hard she worked her body. Her obsession with winning was almost heartbreaking to the older brother. He never understood how bad she wanted to win, until this moment. He felt in that one touch, all her workouts and all her training. Lily was determined to be the best.

"You need something cool, little one." he said softly for her ears only, "You're extremely hot."

"I know. I think we pushed it a bit today." she looked apologetic, "I have some bottled water in my bag. I left it by my shoes. My mouth is a little dry."

"I'll get it. Don't fret." James said as he jogged to her bag.

"My mum didn't get me any water, can I take a drink from yours?" Joy asked hesitantly. Lily flashed a bright smile that took Scorpius by surprise. Didn't this girl just pin her to a mat with a knee in her back?

"Of course. Want us to walk home with you, also?" Lily asked as Albus continued twirling her hair from her high ponytail.

"Only if your brothers want to. It would be nice to spend some more time with you. I miss being on the mat." Joy said with a glance at Albus. The chestnut haired boy nodded his head, "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met." she said with an extended hand when she laid eyes on Scorpius Malfoy.

"Oh! This is my brother's best friend, Scorpius Malfoy." Joy raised her eyebrows at the blonde names. Lily caught the look, "His family is very old fashioned. Curtseys and bowing included." Lily giggled. Joy didn't look convinced though.

"It's true. Very old fashioned." Scorpius muttered, embarrassed at being called old fashioned. Joy gave him one last funny look before watching James slide next to Lily with a opened bottle of water. Lily took it gratefully and drank deeply.

"If you say so, Mister Malfoy." Joy responded as she took the offered water from Lily. Scorpius shifted uncomfortably. The only twelve year old in this building allowed to call him that was Lily.

"Jamie, can we walk Joy home?" Lily looked up to her brother with wide, innocent eyes. James visibly melted at her glance and nodded his head.

"It would be our pleasure to escort Miss Strum home." James replied in his usual over exaggerated flare. Joy blushed and giggled behind her hand.

"Thank you, James." Joy replied with a bright smile.

The quintet gathered their belongings and made their way into the hot sun. Scorpius stayed close to James. He was nervous about venturing even further into the muggle neighborhood. He was surrounded by people that didn't quite make sense to him. He felt uncomfortable with traveling so far from the Potter's residence. But having the two other wizards close kept him from panicking. He found himself looking at his surroundings again and soaking in the culture that was so foreign. His eyes wandered over the buildings and the many people out playing, trying to catch a bit of sun to bronze their complexions. Scorpius cursed his pale features and hoped he would not get a burn being out in the shinning sun.

When they appeared on Joy's house, there were a group of foreboding looking teens in the front yard. Joy's face brightened at their presence, but Lily looked uncomfortable. He realized that Lily knew them from school and decided that she didn't care for them much. That made the blonde teen wonder what kind of people they were. Lily tightened her hold on Joy's arm and the curly haired girl shot Lily a strange look. Lily seemed to be pleading with her eyes for Joy to not go with them. But Joy wasn't having any of it. Scorpius make the decision that he didn't like Joy Strum as much as he thought he would. She was hanging out with the wrong people.

"I'll see you for you birthday, all right Lils?" Joy shook off the hand that Lily had on her. Lily nodded her head slowly and embrace the girl in a tight hug.

"Don't be a stranger, yeah?" Lily told her in a small voice. It broke her heart to see that Joy had been spending time with kids who made bad choices. Joy returned the hug and nodded her head enthusiastically. They parted and Joy jogged to her friends.

The newly formed foursome started to make their way to the Potter's house. Lily took a look over her shoulder and watched as Joy accepted something from one of the boys. When Joy lit it with a plastic lighter, Lily recognized it as a cigarette. As Joy blew out the smoke, Lily felt like she was losing her best friend. And that was more painful than the move that Joy performed on the mat. Suddenly, the knee in her back felt like a dagger and she could feel the betrayal slowly killing their innocence.


	12. Celebrating with Harry James Potter

_**A/N: Perhaps it is a little darker than previous chapters, but I wanted to get an insight into Harry's head. So, we have a chapter of Harry! A father with a growing daughter, daunting! But necessary. I know this is a slow burn, but I didn't want to just jump into the middle of a friendship of Lily and Scorpius. That would be impossible if Lily never attends Hogwarts. Please remember, that I will be jumping more now that Lily is older. I do believe after this chapter and the next, we will be going to the letter format. So that we can jump into Christmas. And this will be getting darker as we progress. Because for some reason, my soul is tainted and I like darkness. It might have something to do with unresolved teenage angst. ;)**_

_**But, on to the beginning of celebrating Lily's birthday!**_

_**Happy reading!**_

_**Henny, that lucky Penny!**_

* * *

**Celebrating with Harry James Potter**

Today is July 31, 2020 and Harry James Potter was turning forty. More importantly, his little flower, Lily Luna Potter, would be turning twelve. Before, Harry didn't prefer to celebrate his birthday; the attention made him uncomfortable. Plus, the fanatics would send him owls with gifts and letters and it was all very disturbing. He liked having a Weasley family gathering along with old Order members at the Burrow and laugh and have cake. Firewhiskey would be passed around and then the jokes would fly and it was a joyus occassion. That had suited him better than the dozens of owls.

But now, he loved this day. His baby girl celebrated this day with him and made it much more special. The family gatherings for him were great, but seeing Lily light up as everyone wished her a happy birthday was...magical. She may not have magic running through her blood, but she had magic along her skin that came in the form of pure innocence. And that made Harry's day even better. It helped that he never minding sharing.

Ginny had the day off from training. She was at the house making cakes and organizing with her mother and brothers. It took planning to get all of the Weasleys to come over. Owls were flying incessantly through the open window from Order of the Pheonix members and all of her sister-in-laws. Even Charlie was making an effort to come today all the way from Romania. He and his wife, while childless, were going to play the part of favorite aunt and uncle and bring gifts for all the children. It was going to be a hectic day!

Harry sat at his desk, carefully ready reports and the accounts of witnesses. He was starting to get a headache from all the missing information. He couldn't quite narrow down just who was finding joy in terrorizing muggle villages and the number of Obliviators he needed to send out was getting ridiculus. Harry just wanted whoever this wayward wizard was to turn himself in and make it easy. He just wanted one easy job so that the world could be at peace again.

Peace was his one true birthday wish that never seemed to come gifted in a box with a pretty red bow.

So Harry perservered and tried to piece the puzzle of frantic muggle men and shocked muggle women. The children were the worst. Their young minds were warped from listening to their parents and the idea of someone wielding a twig that blasted bright lights at houses and people a like. While they had read fantasy stories of people who shot light from their hands and called upon dragons to destroy towns, the idea that it happened to them was too complex for their fragile minds to wrap around.

Harry had to remind himself that today was suppose to be about growth and the future. This was a day for family and friends. It would not do for him to show up in a dark mood and grumpy. He would just read these reports and ask for any updates so that he could continue the headache tomorrow when he could come home in a dark mood and grumpy and not offend anyone. That was a much better plan than risk the wrath of his wife.

So, Harry worked through lunch and finally felt caught up enough to call for the lead Auror on the case, Auror Dennis Creevey. He had led the team that infiltrated the muggle village under the pretense of being interpol. It slipped easily off Auror Creevey's tongue with him being muggle-born. While Dennis helped question the townspeople, Aurors looked through houses and under rocks for the wizard responsible. Coming out empty-handed, the Obliviators were called and the village once again had children running about and men and women working on repairs to, what they were told, was a severe windstorm.

After a long meeting with the younger man, Harry felt confident that all measures had been taken to try and apprehend the individual. The Head of the Auror Department could feel the tension easing from his eyes as Dennis explained that two Aurors, who excelled at tracking, had followed the apparation signature and while they didn't get a glimpse of him, they did find a hideout that he had recently abandond. That was good news if any for Harry.

Four o'clock came around and Harry packed his office up. Locking the door on his way out, Harry bade his Aurors a goodnight and took the floo home.

When he arrived, his house was in pure chaos. He could hear children screaming and mothers yelling. It was a chaotic system those Weasley and Potter women developed. It was also very loud. Almost as loud as the men in the study, clinking tumblers and laughing at crude jokes. Harry smirked to himself as the sounds of family washed over him. Sharing his day with his daughter was very special indeed.

"Welcome home, Harry." a soft dreamy voice greeted him from the entryway into the den. A wide grin spread across his features as Luna Scamander's dirty blonde hair and silver eyes filled his vision.

"Thank you, Luna. And how are you today?" he responded as he crossed the den and dipped down to lightly kiss her cheek, a gesture of how their friendship had remained strong.

"The sun is shining brighter today. Happy birthday." her eyes sparkled with happiness. Harry placed another chaste kiss on her cheek as a thank you and brushed past Luna to find his wife.

The yelling and chattering grew louder as Harry made his way to his kitchen. Giggling and high pitched voice greeted him when we entered the crowded space. Hermione Malfoy jumped into his arms to give him a birthday hug and Ginny smiled widely. Angela and Fluer Weasley kissed him on the cheek with happy birthday wishes murmured. Molly embraced him tightly despite her aging muscles and grey hair. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the man who had become her son from the time he was eleven until this very day. Because that is what he was, her son and would always remain that way, no matter how old he got. Molly loved the poor lost boy who turned into a brilliant Auror.

"How are you ladies today?" Harry asked with twinkling emerald irises. He leant over and kissed Ginny on the cheek.

"Oh, never mind about us!" Angela waved his politeness away, "How does it feel to be forty?!" her dark eyes were glittered with laughter.

"Same as thirty-nine?" Harry looked unsure. He hadn't woken up feeling any different.

"No teasing, you silly witches." Ginny said with a lopsided grin.

"Uncle Harry?" a quiet voice came from the doorway of the kitchen.

A tall, slim girl with glowing blonde hair stood with a smile on her face. Victoire Lupin stood looking at her uncle with bright blue eyes. Her soft features were shining with happiness. Her marriage to Teddy was a good look on her. Harry crossed the hardwood floor to pull her in for a hug which she returned. The two shared a friendship as they both loved Teddy fiercely. And they both worried for his safety during the nights it took many hours to capture a miscreant.

Harry had to comfort his niece turned daughter-in-law many nights in the past year.

"Happy birthday, Uncle Harry." she whispered into his shoulder. Harry kissed her hair and pulled away slowly.

"Thank you, Vic." he smiled broadly.

This is what Harr James Potter loved. He loved having family and those who were practically family gathered around. The chaos and noise didn't bother him. The mess and the inevitable argument didn't bother him. The love and the trust and the caring all enveloped him and kept him grounded. It wrapped a warm blanket around his heart and helped fill the void of his miserable childhood full of horrid relatives and dangerous events. The sense that he was apart of this bright and bubbly day kept the demons of his past at bay. He soaked in the waves of joy and it helped bring him out of the dark place that his memories tried pull him into.

Harry loved being apart of a growing family.

"Ginny, where is Lily?" Harry asked his busy wife.

"Last I heard, she was yelling at James for tugging on her hair. Honestly, she should plait it because he does it every year." Ginny muttered into the icing she was whisking, "Anyway, I think she retreated to her room with Lucy. Those two haven't had any girl time since Easter when Lily spent the night at Percy's. Where is Aubrey?"

Before he could get trapped in gossip, Harry dashed from the kitchen. He may be a seasoned Auror, but a brood of hens was frightening. Before you know what has happened, they will gang up on you and ask you uncomfortable questions. Like who is prettier than who and which haircut is better looking. Gods forbid them to ask who's dress looked better on who. Harry shuddered. Yes, he preferred dark wizards and witches to his sister-in-laws and nieces when they were gathering.

Harry made his way slowly to Lily's room. Happiness and nerves bubbled in his chest. His daughter, his Lily Flower, turned twelve today! He was happy and horrified. Happy that she was growing and learning new things. Horrified that she was growing and learning new things. He didn't want her to start dating. He didn't want boys to start to see her for a girl and not a sparring partner. He didn't want her to notice boys. He didn't want her to ask permission to date a boy from school. It was frightening and gut wrenching and if he stewed on it for too long, it made him angry.

But that is what life is about. Learning and experiencing. Harry and Ginny couldn't comment on too much since they did dark things as children. Ginny was possessed and Harry killed a monster when he was only seventeen. They participated in a war and hurt people. Harry shouldn't be afraid of his daughter dating, but because he knew of the dangers of the world, it was. He, more than most, knew what lay in the shadows waiting for someone innocent like his daughter to pass by at the right time to snatch them up and have their wicked way with them.

Harry had to shake his head to break that line of thinking. He wouldn't think about that when he was about to see Lily. He wouldn't let her see what haunts his nightmares the older she gets. Harry wouldn't let Lily be scared of the world so long as he was breathing and able to brandish his wand. Because as with any parent, the lives of their children are more important than the safety of said parent. And shielding her from the horrors of the past was something that Harry would do until she was ready to hear about Gellert Grindelwald and Tom Riddle. Then he would tell her about dark wizards and the horrors they inflicted upon the Wizarding Community.

Because even if she didn't posses any herself, Lily was still a part of the history of magic and she still needed to learn it.

Besides, Harry shouldn't worry. Lily was excelling in her martial arts and he was very proud of her. Even if he did get much too excited (**nervous**) when she was on the mat with an opponent twice her size. Actually, when she was on the mat with any opponent. He really needed to just put faith in Lily and know she would come out unharmed and breathing.

"Lily?" Harry called through the closed door with a soft knock.

He heard some shuffling and a few whispered words before heavy footfalls bounced to the door. It was thrown open and a flash of fiery red hair crashed into his chest. A soft chuckle escaped his throat as Lily giggled happily, finally having her father home for their shared day.

"Happy birthday, Flower." he said before planting a kiss on the top of her hair. Lily squeezed his torso even tighter.

"Happy birthday, daddy!" she exclaimed with joy.

"Happy birthday, Uncle Harry." a girl with matching red hair said from behind Lily.

Harry detached his daughter and held out an arm for Lucy to come and give him a hug. She was smiling with happiness and crashed into his side, squeezing him tightly. Harry wrapped her securely to him and kissed the top of her head as well. His heart bloomed with calm and love.

Yes, this was more prefferable to a bed under the stairs and ill-fitting clothes that had been his childhood.

"You two staying out of trouble?" he asked after Lucy had relinquished her hold on her uncle. A twinkle of mischief entered Harry's emerald orbs as twin smirks greeted him.

"Of course, Uncle Harry." Lucy said with casual innocence. Lily winked at her cousin.

"We never get into trouble, dad." Lily replied.

"I'm going to leave so I can still claim innocence in whatever you two are planning. I just don't want any mention of my name when you are caught by your mothers." Harry said as he placed more kisses on the tops of their heads again.

"Wouldn't dream of doing anything." Lucy said with a sly tone. Harry shook his head as the girls retreated back into Lily's room. A flash of twin dark grins and he was looking at the white paint of Lily's door.

Now it was time to join the men for a celebratory drink and jokes about getting too old to have sex with his wife. Or the ever popular prodding joke of being careful of falling as one could break a hip in the process. A ghost of a pleased smile flitted across his features as Harry made his way to the study for the passing of firewhiskey and hearty laughter.

He couldn't think it enough; Harry loved his family.


	13. Pranking with Lily Luna Potter

**Pranking with Lily Luna Potter**

Lily closed the door and turned to her cousin. A dark smirk was plastered on her face that felt identical to the one on Lily's. Her father was a smart man. He knew when to run away from an ugly storm. And if Lily and Lucy were to get caught, their mothers would most certainly let them know just how bad they had messed up. But in the end, it would all be worth it.

"We both know our parts?" Lily's smirked widened at the single nod her cousin answered with, "Brilliant." she murmured darkly.

"Let's get to it." Lucy said as she gave Lily's shoulder a slight shove.

The two red heads left the room and went off to find Albus, James and Scorpius. Since James found it to be hilarious to tug on Lily's hair on her birthday, the cousins were going to let him know the horror Lily felt when anyone grasped her hair. Since the day that horrible boy in class came at her hair with scissors, Lily would get mild panic attacks when someone would touch her long tresses when she didn't see it coming. James liked to play on the fear and tug on the flaming locks and mimick the sound of shears cutting them. He hadn't learned his lesson the first time Lily screamed and cried at him. He hadn't learned his lesson when she kicked him in the face.

This time, Lily was sure he would learn his lesson when gave him comuppance.

They located the three boys in the library. Albus was quietly reading a potion's text while James and Scorpius were giggling like school girls over a spell book that reeked of mischief. Lucy produced shears and Lily gripped a handful of dried grass. They had practiced days before to make sure the grass was similiar to the sound of hair being sheared off. If one was paying close attention, the sound was far different, but if one was distracted, by let's say a spellbook, you wouldn't know the difference.

It was perfect.

Lucy had soaked the strands of grass in red ink. When they were bright red, she had painted them with black ink. In very little light, they looked black. But in the sunlight, the strands were a dark red that was farely close to James' auburn hair. Lily, who had memorised the color of his hair, knew that if he was in a panicked state, he would most certainly miss the slight color difference and the fact that it was grass and not strands of hair.

Lily and Lucy knew that they needed at least Albus present for a witness and make sure that James was dramatic as possible. If they waited until he was alone, he would deny ever getting a prank pulled over him and he would react very little to their trick. Having Scorpius there would be icing on the cake. He wasn't a Potter or a Weasley and he was needle James with the knowledge that his twelve year old, non magical sister had pulled a prank on him with muggle slight of hand. And the laughter it would produce would be a confidence booster for the two younger girls.

"Hi, Albie." Lily murmured as she kissed his chestnut hair with a light kiss. He looked up from his book and gave her a small, loving smile.

"Hey, little one." he replied, "Hey, Red." he nodded towards Lucy who gave him a sickingly sweet smile.

"Reading one of Teddy's old texts, Albus?" she nodded towards the book in his lap.

"Yeah, trying to get ahead. I'm extremely happy to be doing antidotes this year in Potions." he answered before his eyes went back down to the page he was on.

Lily and Lucy made their way towards the two fifth years in the corner. Scorpius was watching the pair with glowing blue eyes. He didn't like the two of them being together. He knew Lucy at Hogwarts and she walked the corridors leaving a trail of fire in her quake. Her hot temper and slicing tongue were her Weasley genes. Her coniving form of retaliation to those who ever dared meddle in her affairs was her Slytherin side. Lily was calculating and patient. She was also powerful and can be determined to follow through whatever she starts. They made a deadly pair.

"Hey, Jamie!" Lily chirpped before she planted a kiss on the top of his head. Scorpius looked back down to his book to see what James was pointing at. James looked up and kept his finger planted on the spell that would compell a target to sing. The two young men were thinking of which poor sop they would use to practice on.

"Hey, firecracker!" he smiled brightly, "Dad get home?"

"Yeah. He showed up to my room and wished me a happy birthday ten minutes ago. He left to go sit with our uncles." Lily replied with a gentle smile.

Lucy was impressed with her favorite cousin's ability to be unassuming. Lily's face was relaxed and poised with happiness. Her hazel eyes were calm and their usual brightness. Lucy's calmness was natural. Being in a snake pit day in and day out at school trained you to exude confidence and power. Your face fell into an impassive expression and never let your true feelings show because that was leverage. And leverage could be used against you at any time.

"Good." and James turned back to the spell to practice the incantation under his breathe.

Lily held the grass clippings in one hand out for Lucy to grasp for tension. She posed the shears so the blades encased the strands lightly. Lily chanced a quick glance to her cousin's ice blue eyes and with a tiny nod, Lily turned to her brother's hair.

Her hand fisted a handful of James' hair tightly. A quick tug and Lucy cut the grass. She let the cut grass in her hand fall to the floor. Lily combed her fingers from his hair and shoved her half of the grass into a her pocket to hide the evidence. James shot up from his chair, hands flying to his hair and the comforting quiet that was in the library ended.

"**WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!**" James roared. Albus dropped his book in shock at the volume his brother's voice. Scorpius planted his feet on the floor and quickly stood from his chair. His blue eyes were wide in shock.

"Sweet Merlin! James, she sheared your hair!" the blonde wizard gasped in horror. He knew about James' obsession with his hair. Albus snapped to his feet with a mixture of bewilderment and curiousity in his emerald eyes.

"**SHE DID WHAT?!**" James was pulling at his hair. He turned wild eyes at Scorpius and saw him pointing behind his chair. At Lily and Lucy's feet were dark strands of hair on the carpet. He swiveled his head to his sister and cousin with flashing dark green eyes. They had become almost black in hot anger. No one had ever seen that in his eyes before.

"Now James, hold on a minute." Albus tried to calm his raging brother before he did something he would regret.

"This is too far, Lily!" James growled, "You took it too far."

"Well, learnt your lesson yet? No more tugging on my hair?" Lily questioned him, her own temper rising. Her self-preserving senses were kicking in. James' anger was almost palpable in the library.

"Why do you always have to be a bitch about everything, Lily?" James raged in her face, "It is called a joke, something funny that isn't harmful. I have never cut your hair before."

"Hey! No need for name calling, James!" Lucy interjected, uncomfortable with hearing James calling Lily name such a foul name. Lily, for her benefit, seemed unpeturbed by the name.

"Stay out of it, Lucy!" James snapped, "You'll get yours when I'm done with Lily. You're no better."

"Shut it, James." Lily stood in front of her cousin, "It was my idea to dye grass the color of your hair and mimick shearing a good portion off. Now, have you learnt your lesson?"

James' jaw dropped. He processed the words that came out of Lily's mouth. _Did she just say she dyed grass?_ The room went quiet as the three boys had three very distinct expressions morph on their faces. James was confused. Scorpius was worried. And Albus had the biggest, most pleased grin possible. Lily and Lucy felt twin smirks stretch across their features.

Oh yes, this was perfect.

"Yes, Lucy dyed grass the color of your hair and we didn't actually cut your hair." Lily said to the unasked question hanging in the apprehensive air. She reached into her pocket and pulled the other half of the dyed grass to show the older boys, "Surprise!"

Albus began laughing as color painted James' cheek bright pink. Scorpius still looked cautious that his friend would go off the bend, but chuckled nervously. James, being the good sport he was, ran a shaky hand through his hair and laughed quietly. Lily and Lucy's eyes twinkled with matching slyness. The tension dispelled as the girls giggled in triumph.

The girls left the boys in mild shock and soon the Potter/Weasley women were calling for everyone to gather for dinner. The loud group of family gathered in the large dining room around a dark wood table. The room was bright with oil lamps lit and smiling faces lined on each side. The noise was almost unbearable as everyone was talking at once. Children were chatting about their hopes for the next term and adults were talking about which Quidditch was going to make the World Quidditch cup.

Harry and Lily sat beside each other with broad smiles. This was their favorite. Having their family gathered, talking amongst themselves and just being there. It didn't matter that it was their birthday. It wouldn't matter if today was just a regular day with nothing to celebrate. They just loved being surrounded by the people they loved. Even if the dinner was loud and full of raucous laughter, it was still a family dinner. And it was filled with everything that the two of them treasured.

* * *

"Aren't you worried about what he will do to you?" a soft voice came from the doorway to the backyard. Lily gave a soft chuckle from the porch steps.

After they had cake and everyone left the house either sugared up or liquored up, it had grown late into the night. Lily wanted to sit outside in the cool summer night. Her face was sore from laughing and talking. Her belly felt like it would explode from the fabulous dinner that her aunts and cousins and mother prepared. It really was the most perfect day. She loved sharing her birthday with her dad.

Scorpius had wandered from James a little bit ago. He was incessantly checking mirrors and complaining that his hair did look shorter in the back. Scorpius was tired of hearing him whine and reassuring him that none of his looked cut. You can only assure someone so many times before you snap at them that yes! Your hair looks shorter in the back! And have to leave the room to shut out the crying and blubbering.

"No." Lily replied as Scorpius sat beside her on the step. She looked sideways to her new companion, "I'm more worried about him telling mum. She has grown tired with our constant bickering." Lily leaned back onto her elbows and gazed at the stars.

"I fear your mother. She is scary when she is angry." Scorpius muttered. Lily giggled softly.

"While I have never seen it myself, Uncle George has said that Grandmum Molly is positively terrifying when she is angry. Just like mum. He and Uncle Fred used to produce her temper with their constant pranking and foolishness. He always looks so sad when he talks about his brother. I can't imagine how he ever accepted Uncle Fred's death. I would loose my mind if something happened to James or Albus." Lily looked thoughtfully to the sky. Scorpius shifted uncomfortably.

"I brought you your present." he said, desperate to change the topic. His lack of knowledge made the deaths that were suffered in the Second Wizarding War almost unbearable. It was like pulling teeth from a gnome to get his father to discuss anything from that time. A dark look would pass over the older Malfoy and he would go silent.

"Oh! You didn't have to! I didn't expect it." Lily said excitedly. She sat back up and turned her body to face the blonde boy. A small smile lit up the boys face.

"Well, it would be highly rude of me to show up without a present for the birthday girl. And I really didn't know what to get your dad, so I asked James to go in with me for a gift." he babbled nervously. _Why was he nervous?_

Scorpius swallowed his nerves and pulled a long, thin black box from his pocket. Lily glanced at it with confusion and horror in her eyes. She hoped that there wasn't some kind of jewelery in that box. Scorpius would never leave the house alive. Either her father would kill him or James would strangle him. That is what they feared the most, was Lily dating. And she wasn't ready to date. She didn't want to have to hurt the kind boy by declining any offer of courtship, because Lily knew the purebloods still did that. Lucy was in the house concentrated with purebloods. She told Lily all about it.

"Mister Malfoy..." she hesitated. Scorpius chuckled nervously.

"It's not a bracelet, Miss Potter." he assured her.

"Oh." she murmured as she took the box gently and then a thought had her eyes go round, "It's not a necklace, either?"

"No." he replied impatiently, "Just open it."

"Alright." and she pulled the top off. Inside the box was a glossy black fountain pen. It was engraved with gold lettering. Lily gasped sharply and looked up into electric blue eyes, "How did you know?"

"Fred and James were discussing it. They both couldn't decide what kind of pen to get you. When they gave up on the idea, I found one that seemed like it would suit you." Scorpius replied as he watched her take the shiny pen from the silk lining. He watched her gently finger the engraving, "It is only your name. I don't think we are close enough to inscribe poerty or famous quotes, but I thought you would enjoy having your name on a nice pen."

"It's perfect." she whispered. Her eyes met his again, "Thank you...Scorpius. Thank you!" Lily said as she launched herself into his arms. Scorpius was taken aback by the name and the bodily contact. He slowly returned the hug.

"You're welcome...Lily." he replied into her hair. Lily released him and sat back again.

"I can't wait to try it! Oh! This is exciting." she was still staring at the pen with wonder. Scorpius tried to still his racing heart.

"I'm glad you like it." he said. Lily flashed him a huge grin.

"Thank you, Scorpius." his name rolled off her tongue easier this time around. He quite liked it.

"You are welcome, Lily." Scorpius said, liking the way her name rolled off his tongue.

"I'm going to go test it right now!" and with another flash of a smile, she raced into the house to go to her room. Scorpius felt his chest swell with happiness.

He got up from the step and turned to go into the house. As he neared the door, a strong hand grasped the front of his shirt and flipped him around and shoved him into the door jam. A rush of air left his lungs at the impact. His eyes locked onto a pair of darkening emerald green orbs. Albus' cheeks were flushed with red hot rage and his mouth was set in a firm line.

"This is your only warning, Malfoy." Albus began in a low and dangerous tone, "If you ever hurt my sister; if you ever cause her to cry; if you break her heart, I will find out about it and you I will make you regret it. I won't even use magic to carry out this promise, because that is what this is. It is not a threat. Threats can be broken. I promise that I will kick the ever living shit out of your body if you harm my sister in any way." he pressed Scorpius' back into the sharp edge earning a soft whimper of pain from the Malfoy heir, "Remember that." and he was gone.


	14. More Letters with Scorpius Malfoy

**_More Letters with Scorpius Malfoy_**

_August_

_Scorpius,_

_Notice how nice the ink is laying on the paper? The new pen is excellent! Thank you, again. I know I have said it at least ten times, but I really appreciate the gift. It shines wickedly when I write in candle light. Almost like I am an evil villain writing orders for an attack. I know, very strange analogy, but that is how I feel. I'm sorry, I will stop about the pen now._

_How have you been since your return home? Much quieter I expect. I know my family is crazy, but I love it. I know that dad loves it too. He doesn't talk about his time with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, but it was never this happy. We are just a big, happy family. But I do know that to most it is just a bunch of noise and a lot of moving bodies. Children running around, unchecked. But it works._

_I do believe we are going to Shell Cottage tomorrow. James has been bugging mum about going to the beach and she finally wrote Uncle Bill and Aunt Fluer. I think they miss having children in the house as all three of theirs are of age. Victoire is a housewitch and Dominique is in Auror training. Louis dropped a hippogryph on them by stating that he wanted to become a curse-breaker like Uncle Bill. This year at Hogwarts should be interesting for him. So much studying._

_Well, I am off to the rec center to beat a bag into submission. I hope you stay cool!_

_Sincerely,  
Lily_

_Lily,_

_I hope your day at the beach was relaxing. My parents have decided that we are going to spend some time at our villa in Italy. I am somewhat excited to be going. There is a beach there and cobble streets. I like to go into town and sometimes find little stones for my mother. She never fails to polish them and turn them into jewelry. I found a deep emerald colored one. She turned that one into a hair pin. She wears it during Christmas._

_I enjoy your crazy family. They remind me that happiness isn't how many galleons one can spend. Case in point, the stones I find for my mother. She tells me, whether it is true or not, that the pieces she wears with my stones are her favorite ones. When I was younger, I lapped that up and it brought a huge smile to my face. Now that I am older, I sometimes wonder if it dragon shit, but she wears the jewelry with a smile. I don't complain. But most of our circle of acquaintances opt for shinier and gaudier pieces with jewels and diamonds. It makes me wonder._

_I did notice the difference in the smoothness of the ink. It writes lovely. Now your messy scrawl is neater and more legible. I can actually read your letters. They don't appear to be ancient runes that I have to decipher. I'm pants at ancient runes. I am happy you are enjoying your present._

_Keep beating those bags into submission!_

_Sincerely,  
Scorpius_

_Scorpius,_

_I got burnt. My skin feels like it is on fire. I fell asleep on the beach and James didn't wake me up. I can barely get out of bed. Mum has been applying burn salve, but she says I still need to rest. She has been shoving water down my throat like it is a poison. I sometimes wonder if my brother's head is actually attached to his shoulders. They had wandered down the beach and when Aunt Fluer called them all in for lunch, he forgot about me until she asked where I was. James jumped up and ran out to find me. By that time, the damage was already done. The top of my back and my shoulders were bright red._

_But, other than the sunburn, I had fun. Lucy and Molly were allowed to come and we had fun jumping in the waves. I didn't even miss going to the rec center, that is how fun it was. I am excited to hear about your stay in Italy! I hear it is beautiful there. When I am out of school, I want to travel and see more culture. I plan to travel for a few months before beginning school at University. Granted, I still don't know what I want to be when I am finished, but I figure I will know when the time is right. I did just turn twelve. I have a little bit of time before it is necessary._

_I am sure that your mother genuinely likes the stones, otherwise she wouldn't get them made into jewelry. Albus used to make flower bracelets for mum. She would place a preserving charm so she could wear them for a few days. She would beam brightly at him and he would smile widely. I think it is a son thing to do for their mothers._

_Have in Italy! Word of wise; don't get burnt._

_Sincerely,  
Lily_

_Lily,_

_I am happy to report that I didn't get sunburnt. And I did find another stone for my mother. As I am writing this, she is taking it to a jeweler and having him polish it. It is black and when it is shined up, it will look close to onyx. I have a feeling this will be the last one though. I feel too old to be presenting dirty rocks to my mother. She still smiled though. So, I don't know, maybe I will find one more. I think I want to try for a bright blue one, to match her eyes. I'll see the next time._

_I got my letter and I am a prefect. I don't know what I did to get that, but I am pretty happy about it either way. My father was proud. A long tradition of Malfoys becoming prefect I suppose. I guess McGonagall is trying to keep James under control. His pranks do get out hand. I mean, I am just as bad. Maybe my name has something to do with it. I don't know and I am not going to ponder it. I am just excited to get the badge._

_Later today, we will be going to Diagon Alley for my supplies. I will be busy packing and cleaning my room. It has gotten pretty dirty and mum was furious about it, so she forbade the house elves to clean it. As for my punishment, I am to do it myself. My father was a little appalled, but he never over steps my mother. I've never seen her Greengrass temper, but I hear it is legend. I was told by Mister Blaise Zabini that she could throw a bitch fit big enough for three witches. So, father doesn't make her angry. Ever._

_I will see you on the platform. Stay safe._

_Sincerely,  
Scorpius_

_Scorpius,_

_I'm afraid that I won't be present at the platform. I am on restriction at the present. In fact, I am allowed an owl a day for two months. I can only send one letter a day to my cousins and brothers while they are at Hogwarts for two months! Not only that, but I can't even go to the gym until classes start again. That is three weeks away. I am fairly angry at the moment._

_I may or may not be guilty of breaking a kid's nose and causing bodily harm to his person. I may or may not have kicked the shit out of him._

_Alright, here is the story; I was visiting Joy at her house and her friends came over. They convinced her to go hang out with them that may have in turn made her convince me to go with her. We went to some dirty alley and they started passing out fags. I got irritated, but didn't say anything to them. I refused the vile thing and the horrible children thought it would be funny to tease me. That is fine, I will look like the cool one while they smoke their lungs dirty. Joy was standing off to the side, observing her friends using foul language and disgusting analogies. I kept my peace and my temper. I miss Joy. She and I have been friends since we both began training. So, I didn't want to make her mad._

_Well, one of the morons took his muggle lighter and brought it to my hair to see if the colors match. They don't, by the way. I had had enough of their disgusting attitudes. So, I knocked the lighter away. The kid got angry and back handed my face. I would like to say that I had been very even tempered until this time. I ignored the jibes at being a prude and an ice-cold bitch. I turned away from leering eyes. I was pretty level headed. Until the prat tried to light my hair on fire and struck my face_

_To end my story, he ended up with a broken nose, two black eyes, bruised ribs and a very sore hand that I may or may not have crushed under my heel for hitting my face. It took Joy and two of the other thugs to pry my off of the bastard. So, after my parents were informed, I was yelled at for hours and told that I couldn't do anything remotely fun for a very long time._

_So, I will talk to you through owl post until you can come over again. I hope your train ride is enjoyable! Keep James in line with that prefect badge. Minerva sends exasperated letters to mum once a month about his behavior._

_Sincerely Apologetic,  
__Lily_

* * *

_September_

_OH GODRIC! Are you all right? Of course you are all right. You beat that kid up. Is he going to live? Are you going to muggle prison? OH GODRIC! You are going to muggle prison! Please write me as soon as possible! I need to know!_

_\- Scorpius_

* * *

_October_

_Scorpius,_

_I am sorry. I didn't mean to wait this long to write you. My cousins all wanted answers and James wasn't giving them any. He made it up to me to answer all their questions. He is being a prat._

_I am not going to muggle prison. The parents were too interested in what his recent activities were to be bothered with a little girl beating up their son. I am only in trouble with the mum police. _

_How are classes going? How are your prefect duties going? Liking the new power?_

_I'll keep my nose out of trouble so I can keep writing you._

_Sincerely,  
Lily_

_Lily,_

_I over reacted. I am just shocked that you let yourself get tangled in with such a dreary crowd. I do hope you may be able to talk some sense into your friend. It would be terrible if you lost her as a friend. _

_Sincerely,__Scorpius_

* * *

**_A/N: Letters! Love the letters!_**

**_Happy reading!_**

**_Henny, that lucky Penny!_**


	15. Writing with Lily Luna Potter

**Writing with Lily Luna Potter**

_October:_

_Lily,_

_It has been a few weeks since I have heard from you. I am just checking to see if you are well. I would hate to hear James go on about the hole in his heart that was his sister. And because I am his best friend, I would have to pick up the pieces._

_My classes are still going well. This year, I need as many O.W.L.s that I can get. I think I am going to become an Auror. Maybe this will help clean my family name. I do hate getting the odd evil stare in the halls. I had hoped that being sorted into Gryffindor would get rid of them, but I catch them every so often. It will help that James has been talking about becoming an Auror also. We can go to training together._

_I hope I hear from you soon!_

_Sincerely,  
Scorpius_

_Lily,_

_James told me that you weren't responding to his owls either. He is worried about you. So am I. I tried to talk to Lucy, but she just ignores me. I think James may have pestered her one times too many._

_I hope you are well._

_Sincerely,  
Scorpius_

_November:_

_Scorpius,_

_I am sorry. I was busy with training and school. This year, I am in a different level for the tournament and I have been hitting the gym longer and harder. That means that I have been more tired and I normally only have enough energy to do my homework, eat dinner and fall asleep. I will write James as soon as I am done writing you. His owls have been...persistent. I have had to bandage a few bites. Bloody bird will meet its end soon if it doesn't knock it off._

_I am happy to hear that your classes are going well. An Auror, eh? That sounds great! I am sure that you will full fill your aspirations. And I know James will also. How is the newest prefect doing? You give out any detentions yet?_

_Keep at the books!_

_Sincerely,  
Lily_

_Jamie Dearest,_

_I am fine. I was just busy. I am sorry I made you worry. How is prefect duties going? Scorpius tells me you are aspiring to become an Auror like dad. That sounds great! I hope you all the best in that field! I would be the most protected girl, what with an Auror father, Hit Wizard brother and an Auror brother. A powerful family indeed._

_I love you! And I miss you!_

_Love,  
__Firecracker_

_Firecracker,_

_As long as you are well. I am sorry for my last letter. I may have been a bit harsh. And a little loud. I love you and that is why I worry._

_Keep charging hard, Lily. I love you too._

_Love,  
__Jamie_

_December:_

_Lily,_

_It is nice to hear that you are alive and well. James has been practically prancing since your letter. Just a few simple words can get your brother's gloomy attitude brought back to his usual sunny disposition. And I thank you for doing it._

_This will more than likely be my last letter until after Christmas. My parents informed me that we would be going to France for Christmas. So, I want to wish you an early Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year! Keep up the studies!_

_Sincerely,  
Scorpius_

_Scorp,_

_I know you are on vacation with your parents, but I wanted to ask you a question._

_Has Lily told you about how much time she has been consorting with Joy? I thought after the incident in August that she would have stopped talking to her, but she seems to be spending more time with her. Mum and dad said that she goes over on the weekends and spends most of it at her house. I'm not worried, per se, but now she is going to be spending Christmas Day over at their house and not with the Potters and the Weasleys. I am sure I am over thinking it, but I am not used to her wanting to be anywhere that doesn't have a horde of red heads running around._

_Stay warm in the countryside! Happy Christmas!_

_All the Best,  
James_

_January:_

_Scorp,_

_Ignore my last owl. I'll talk to you on the train after your prefect duties._

_\- James_


	16. Worrying with James Potter

_**A/N: I made a glaring mistake in my last chapter. I must have confused James Sirius Potter with the other James Sirius Potter from my fic, **_**Do Not Touch Me**_**, because he is a prefect in that story. I totally spaced and forgot I had made Scorpius prefect in THIS fic. I apologize. I have no excuse for suck forgetfulness. All I can do is correct my mistakes. And I did. The letters referencing the fifth year prefect for Gryffindor has been fixed and now reflects Scorpius as the prefect. I apologize again.**_

_**Happy reading!**_

_**Henny, that lucky Penny!**_

* * *

**Worrying with James Potter**

"Finally! I'm through with my rounds." Scorpius said in a huff as he dropped his frame next to James on the bench. James continued to stare at the floor of the compartment. His face was impassive.

"See anything interesting, Scorp?" Albus questioned from behind his book. His tone was airy and to the casual observer, it seemed friendly. Albus never held a tone of airy and Scorpius knew that.

"Just a few fifth years snogging. It was disgusting." he replied while wrinkling his nose in mild discomfort.

"Al, have you noticed anything off about Lily?" James interupted the two boys. Albus finally brought his book down.

"Other than she not coming to Christmas with us, no." he replied, impatience trickling into his words, "She is branching out and has a friend that she isn't related to. You are over thinking the situation."

"But who doesn't want to have Christmas dinner with family?" James shot up from the bench and began pacing. It was more like taking two strides and turning the opposite direction and taking two more.

"Scorpius didn't have Christmas dinner with his family the year before!" Albus argued.

"That's different! He is my best friend!" James replied, incredulously. Albus' eyebrows shot up to his hair line in disbelief.

"You are a hypocrite, James Potter!" Albus almost growled, "Joy is her best friend! How is her relationship any different than your relationship with Scorpius?" Albus rose to his feet. He hated having the low ground and refused to be talked down to, especially by his brother.

"Scorp has never given me cause to beat the shit out of some groping prat!" James stopped pacing and stood facing his brother. Forest green bore into emerald as the two Potter brothers were bordering on angry.

"And as she proved, she can handle those prats that Joy spends her time with. If we are lucky, Joy will drop them and realize that Lily is a true friend." Albus shoved his hands into his trouser pockets to keep from gripping his brother's shoulders and shaking him senseless.

"Maybe we need to take a minute to cool down?" Scorpius finally stood and entered the argument before it came to blows. He knew that their tempers could be explosive. Being part Weasley, an uneven temper came with the territory.

"Shut it, Scorpius." Albus hissed. His calm demenor was completely lost, "Why he is asking your opinion, I haven't the faintest. It is a family matter."

"Possibly because I care for her wellbeing as well. Yes, she may be my best friend's sister, but I have spent time with her and find that she enjoyable to be around." Scorpius narrowed his eyes as he spoke. His tone was growing hard.

Albus' expression grew sinister as he let the blonde wizard's words hang in the air. James shifted his body so he could stare at his friend and his younger brother at once. The air grew thick with untold tales. Albus looked like the cat that had caught the canary and Scorpius bordered on horrified.

"More than just care for her wellbeing, I suspect." Albus said in a quietly dangerous voice. Scorpius swallowed loudly at the implied feelings toward the Potter's sister. James had had enough of not knowing what kind of secret conversation the other two wizards were having.

"Why do you mean, Albus?" he ran a nervous hand through his hair, the back sticking up more. Albus smirked as he glanced at his brother.

"I gave her a pen for her birthday." Scorpius admitted and wet his lips quickly, keeping himself from saying anything foolish.

"An _engraved_ pen, James." Albus added smugly.

The swirling emotions being emitted from the young men was stifling.

"A what?" the auburn haired boy was trying to comprehend the information being thrown at him. An engraved anything was a personal gift to give to someone you cared for deeply.

"An engraved pen." Albus replied before the Malfoy heir could say anything.

James locked his gaze on Scorpius' electric blue eyes. For Scorpius' benefit, he didn't squirm under the heavy stare of dark green eyes.

"You and Fred were talking about getting her one, seeing as she wanted a special pen that was her's and her's alone. When you two couldn't decide on one, I found one that would suit her and had her name engraved for her." the blonde boy held his friend's weighty gaze. He refused to cower. It was a pen. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Why does Albus seem to think it is more?" James' tone was quiet and calculating.

The compartment door flew open and three sets of eyes turned to look at the intruder.

"James!" Rose squeaked out when she felt oppressive stares on her face.

"Can it wait, Rosie?" James shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Um, Molly was looking for you. She wanted to ask you a question or two about your charms homework." the curly haired girl looked around the compartment, noting the rigid postures and varying degrees of frustration in the three boys' stances, "But if you are busy, I can tell Molly that you are unavailable and she has to figure it out herself?" her voice held a questioning note.

"No, I will go help her." James replied and took a slow breathe, "Lead the way, Rosie." and with one last glance at Scorpius, he followed his dark red haired cousin out to the hallway.

After the compartment door closed, Scorpius rolled his shoulders back and lifted his chin. Albus watched as he slid his hands into his pockets. A cool expression filled the pale boy's face as he forced his muscles to relax. The transformation from emotional Gryffindor to suave pureblood was not lost upon Albus. And he felt his body mirroring Scorpius' posture. He may not have had the formal training as the blonde wizard had, but the younger Potter boy had a crash course. And he always had a knack for picking up lessons well.

"My father once told me that I should never play my hand too early. I should always wait for the most oppurtune time to show what I have observed." Scorpius' tone was soft, "It is a very Slytherin lesson, I am sure. But one that is important, none-the-less. You should have waited to tell your brother about the supposed feelings I am harboring for your much younger sister."

A small smirk played along the younger wizard's lips.

"I believe that I showed my hand at the most oppurtune time, Mister Malfoy. James may have the distraction of Molly at the moment, but he will be back. Now, he will worry about your feelings towards my sister instead of the people she is affiliating with. Because I believe that she has a handle on that situation. She may be niave to your feelings, but I am not. One does not give a casual acquaintance an engraved pen. If you had given it to James, I wouldn't have any qualms. But you are treading dangerous territory around my sister." he had pitched his voice low, keeping errant ears from listening to their conversation.

"She is my best mate's sister. I would most certainly ask for permission from him before I entertain thoughts of that nature. If I had any. At present, she fascinates me. Her ability to pull a prank, her down to earth attitude and her physical prowess. Her ability to blend into the magical world and the muggle world. I haven't gotten to experience such things because I haven't been objected to them." blue clashed with green as the boys studied each other, "May hap you should worry about the scumbags that she is consorting with. You know nothing about them. James knows nothing about them. I would be concerned, if I were you."

"I already told you once, Malfoy, that is family business." Albus' voice was calm, but his emerald irises swirled with anger.

"For two people who have been told to not discuss her, you are talking about Lily an awful lot." the jab was thrown lightly, but it still hit Albus in the chest and it hurt.

"I have half a mind to hex you right now." Albus narrowed his eyes.

"Don't get your wand in a twist, Potter." Scorpius rolled his eyes, "When my feelings change from intrigue to romantic, you will be the first to know so that you can exact out whatever evil little plan is running through your mind. But I doubt that will happen."

"I'll be sure to let you know when it happens. Your mask has too many holes. It is a flaw that most Gryffindors have. You should work on that." the dig was sharp and spoke of finility. Albus grabbed his book from the bench and left the compartment.

* * *

"Explain to me again, why are you giving my sister pens with her name on them?" James had returned and was pestering Scorpius for an answer. He seemed much calmer than when he had left. Albus was partly correct; James had forgotten about Joy and her friends, but he wasn't as furious as when he had left. Scorpius had never been so thankful in his life.

"I over heard you and Fred discussin how badly Lily wanted a nice pen. She gets jealous that you and Albus receive nice quills for school and she wanted to feel included. So, after the pair of you couldn't decide on one, I went to a muggle shop in London and found a nice pen. Nothing special, just nice and so that you couldn't ever steal it, because I know you would, I had her name engraved on it. Now, she has the pen she wanted and you can't borrow it without permission." the pale boy explained in a calm and cool voice. James mulled his words over for a moment before looking back at his best friend.

"Alright. Do I need to jinx you over this?" a dark raised eyebrow disappeared under the auburn fringe.

"Not that I know of. There is nothing attached to the pen. Now, can we drop it? I am almost regretting buying the bloody thing." Scorpius mutter miserably. He was really tired of discussing the blasted thing.

"Fine. I'll be watching, Scorp. She is my sister. And even though I know she can handle you, magic or no, I still have a sworn duty to protect her." James said dramatically, "Even from you."

"Brilliant." he muttered in the same tone.

"Now, how was your Christmas?" the subject change had Scorpius' shoulders sagging in relief.

"Well, how about yours? Besides Lily skivving off dinner to be with Joy, how was time with your family?"

"Entertaining. Lucy pouted the whole time and Rose may have thrown some pudding at her to cheer her up. Which did not. Even though we had to stay extra late, we children had a food fight to go down in the books! The cleaning took so bloody long, I thought I would need to eat again before going to bed that night. We had to do it without wands. I hate being under age sometimes. But, it was all entertaining." James' eyes sparkled at the memory. Scorpius chuckled.

"I'm glad, mate. Wish I could have been there." a warning bell sounded, "Time to get dressed, I suppose."

* * *

An owl was waiting outside of the window when the two friends went up for bed. It was a Potter owl and Scorpius assumed it was for James. He was surprised when the owl dropped the envelope on his bed and left to go hunt. A familiar scrawl was on the front and it spelled out his name. A small smile ghosted over his features as he picked up the letter.

_Scorpius,_

_I hope my brothers weren't awful to you. I over heard James muttering about something before they left for the train. My name and Joy's name may have come through. So, I worry that he is over reacting to something and he will complain to you. So, I apologize for my brother's behavior. Both of them._

_Excellent news! I got fourth this year at the meet! Pretty exciting! I was surprised. I hadn't thought to get that high, but I always strive for first. But fourth is amazing! I can't wait for this year's meet so I can get first. Because I will!_

_How was the train ride? Pleasant?_

_Stay warm in the mountains!_

_Sincerely,_  
_Lily_


	17. Nighttime with Lily Luna Potter

**Nighttime with Lily Luna Potter**

"I'll see you on Sunday, mum." Lily called as she hoisted her backpack onto her shoulder. Joy stood by the door, checking her watch. Lily caught the action.

"I love you!" a responding call came from the kitchen.

"I love you, too!" Lily replied and ushered her dirty blonde friend out of the house.

"The plan; we drop your bag off at my house and then we are going to meet Danny and Byron." Joy explained to Lily as the two girls walked down the snowy street.

"What are we doing tonight?" Lily inquired as she fought off a shiver. It was February and the small red head was hoping the weather would warm up soon. The snow was pretty, but it made for night time dubachery bitterly cold.

"Raze the town, love." Joy replied with a wicked smile and a quiet voice.

"I still don't understand walking around late at night." Lily shoved her hands into her pockets to fight the chill.

"Everything boring happens during the day. The night is where the action is." Joy recieted as she opened her door. Lily sighed and followed her friend to her room.

Lily dropped her bag onto Joy's bed and opened it. She dug around for her gloves and after sliding them onto her hands, she turned to the curly haired girl and nodded her head. Joy slipped a knit cap over her ears and the two preteens left the house. Lily had her doubts, but had grown comfortable around Joy's friends. Most of the time, they would lounge in the den of Joy's house and watch shows on the telly. Lily grew accustomed to their brand of comedy and their awful language.

The short girls trudged through the crunchy snow and soon came upon a darkened alley. Lily felt a wave of apprehension take over her body and decided to let Joy lead. If she was behind, Lily would be able to just walk away from any ideas she were uncomfortable with. If she could convince Joy to leave with her. But Lily had already proved that was difficult.

"Strum! Finally! I thought you got lost." a male voice called out from the shadows. Lily could see the end of a fag glowing in the dim light and smell nicotine swirl in the air. A burst of light and Joy was accepting her own fragrant stick from a tall shadow. Lily's eyes hadn't adjusted to the loss of light.

"I see you brought Potter with you." another male voice observed from Lily's right. A white rectangular box was being shown to her. After a shake of her head to decline the cigarette, the pack disappeared.

"It is lovely to see you two again, as well." Lily politely said and heard amused chuckles meet her ears.

"She'll be spending the weekend with me again." Joy offered as she blew out a cloud of smoke from between her lips.

"We ready?" Danny asked, "We don't have to wait for Boyd seeing as he is still trying to remember how to walk without a crutch." Lily didn't even feel guilty as two pointed stares were thrown her way. She knows that her brothers were taught not to hit women and girls. Lily knew that when Boyd had hit her, that he did something wrong. She just punished him for his grievous mistake.

"She already apologized for that, now leave her be." Joy scolded.

After a shake from Danny's head, he pushed off the wall he had been leaning against and the small group started walking down the alley to the other side. Lily brought up the rear, still not able to trust Joy's friends.

Never mind that it took Lily ages to learn to trust anyone, it was a huge setback when the shady boys had thought it wise to strike a girl. Men like that couldn't be trusted. Apart from Joy, Lily really didn't have a lot of friends. To keep secrets from her dirty blonde friend was hard. Lily had learned that early in the relationship. It pained her that she couldn't talk about magic and all that her family accomplished, even if she knew very little about it.

Friends from the muggle world were hard to keep for Lily.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. Lily felt that if she didn't go along with Joy, that the curly haired girl would leave her behind. Lily was not naive enough to believe that Joy wouldn't just wait for her to catch up. Joy was Lily's only reprieve from the magical world. She made Lily feel normal. Being a squib translated into being considered odd in the Wizarding World. And the comfort that Lily took from Joy's company always settled the doubts in her mind that she could ever be normal.

The foursome meandered along a dimly lit street. It was quiet due to the colder weather and later hour. Lily trailed behind the trio and took in the sights. She wasn't too impressed with the dingy walls and clouded windows. The vandalism was even less impressive as Lily felt a spike of anger shoot through her chest. The blatant disrespect was still a new concept for the young Potter. She had been taught to treat other's property how you treat yours.

The flaming red haired girl soon foung herself bored and let her mind wander. She expected that right now, her brother was gathered with his friends and partaking in some kind of prank. It was a Friday night and they had no obligations tomorrow morning. But with Scorpius being a prefect, she wondered how that worked. Did the young Malfoy deter her brother from making someone a fool? Or did he pretend to not notice his best friend scheming and let him go about his business? Her thoughts turned to Albus and she pictured him in the Common Room, reading a Potions text for pleasure. A blade clicking open in the background.

A blade?

Lily's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a switch blade being flipped open and a step in frosty snow out of sync with her own. Feeling her spine begin to tingle with the eyes of someone new, Lily dropped and shoulder rolled towards her three companions. She came up into a crouch and whipped her head around. Three figures had emerged from the shadows and were eyeing her curiously.

Lily had the immediate thought to go home.

"Joy!" Lily hissed.

Her friend turned around and caught sight of the new comers. Joy got the attention of Danny and when he turned a smirk appeared on his lips.

"'Bout time you made your appearance." Danny said as he stepped in front of Lily to greet the three older boys.

"Sporting an acrobat?" came a curious voice, an unfamiliar face staring unabashed at Lily.

"Eccentric is what I call her." Byron answered. Lily resisted the urge to glare at the bothersome boy. He could be the rudest of them all. Lily really detested him.

"You have the package?" the one with the blade inquired in an impatient tone. Danny produced a paperbag. He tossed it to the leader, "Brilliant. Now bugger off."

Lily was in disbelief. That was it?! She had trudged through the snow to be told to bugger off? Barely concealed anger had Lily walking with a straight back and her head held high. That was not anything exciting. It was rather boring. But it did make Lily think.

If this was the usual happenings during the night, she could deal with this. She could be with Joy and still tolerate the meaningless walking and secrets. Lily was sure she didn't want to know what was in that bag. She knew with every fibre of her being that she didn't want to know what was in that bag. But if she was there to accompany boys who were afraid of the dark, she could do that. Because while she was making sure that nothing jumped out and tried to stab them, then she was doing it for Joy too. And that was worth the risk of falling in the wrong crowd.

Because as long as you don't lose yourself, it wasn't serious, right?


	18. Danger with Lily Luna Potter

_**A/N: I have some awful news. I am leaving this Saturday for my summer job. I will be down on the Kenai Peninsula commercial fishing. I do this every year. So, updates might be even slower. I don't have a reliable internet connection while I am there. I don't even have basic cable! I literally live in a lot with a bunch of trailers and heavy machinery. But, never fear! I am hoping to secure a wifi stick and hopefully at least give you something. I will have plenty of time to write. I don't have much to do when we have to sit around and wait for Fish and Game to quit being stupid. But, I am warning you, my loyal readers, that I wouldn't expect so many chapters in the next two months. And I apologize. I have had personal conversations and I feel awful that this has to happen. But it does. I make a good chunk of change this way and my children also grow so much. They get lots of sunshine and fresh air.**_

_**So, I do love you all and I am no abandoning anything. I am just not going to be as oppressive on the internet. I do hope that you all understand. And that you don't plan my murder. And that you will still read. :D I will miss you all. And who knows, maybe I will be able to get a wifi stick and you won't even notice a difference. :D**_

_**In the meantime, Happy reading!**_

_**Henny, that lucky Penny!**_

* * *

**Danger with Lily Luna Potter**

Lily was feeling exhausted. She really didn't get much time to herself. When she wasn't at home, she was at school. When she wasn't at school, she was at Muay Thai class. If she wasn't at Muay Thai class, she was with Joy at her house. Well, not really at her house, but that is the story she told her mother and father. Her only reprieve from her revolving life was the weeknights. Lily and Joy were too exhausted after the gym to even think about going out with the troublesome boys. That activity was reserved for Friday and Saturday nights.

Lily fell into a comfortable schedule.

With the rest of February being cold, the girls often found themselves walking the streets and alleyways with Danny, Byron and Boyd. Boyd had finally dropped the crutch, but still had a faint limp. Lily couldn't help but think that he was doing it for attention. Girls with short skirts and even shorter tops would coo and aww around the boy. Boyd would tell them that it was a wound from a fight with a guy twice his size and he had beat the ever living shit out of him, despite the size difference. Lily had rolled her eyes so many times since he had returned, that her eyeballs were sore from the action. Joy found that entertaining.

Boyd wasn't the only one to start to join them during their weekend activities. A stocky boy named Walter, or as he preferred U-Dub, started to come around as the snow began to melt. Lily never understood the nickname, but she only needed to be told once not to laugh at it. With U-Dub came Sam. Sam was U-Dub's girlfriend. She had stringy blonde hair and crooked teeth. Her voice was nasaly and her skin was pasty. Lily didn't like her and Joy seemed to only tolerate her. Sam was the perfect match for U-Dub. His face was always covered in boils and his short mousey hair was always messy. They paired well together.

Danny started bringing his little brother along as well. Danny, who was sixteen, had curly light brown hair. His younger brother was no different. His hair was light brown and curly also, but the brothers didn't share much else. While Danny was bulky, Ethan was skinny. Where Danny had light blue eyes, Ethan had chocolate brown irises. The older Groode brother was crude and harsh. The younger Groode brother was meek and polite. Lily always had this feeling that she needed to protect him.

March soared on by and Lily soon found that her brothers would be home soon for Easter. She became over joyed with the prospect. The group of older kids that Joy had found were not overly affectionate. Lily was craving bonding with her brothers over books and cuddle sessions in the library. She could hardly wait to feel Albus twirling her hair around a finger and propping her feet in James' lap. The very thought of relaxing in their normal spot and in their usual positions had Lily smiling to herself.

"What are you smiling at, Flame Thrower?" Ethan asked her softly as they sat next to each other, watching a muggle movie. Lily cringed inwardly at the awful nickname. To cover her distaste, she smiled brightly at the curly haired boy.

"My brothers come home from boarding school tomorrow." the petite red head replied. Ethan looked surprised by her words.

"You have siblings? How many?" the curious boy turned his full attention to the small girl.

"Two older brothers." she responded. The skinny boy pondered that for a moment.

"Why aren't you at a boarding school as well?" Lily paled. No one has ever asked her those kinds of questions before.

"Uh, my parents went to that school. It was natural to send my brothers there." Lily was stalling to find an appropriate answer. When her brain finally fought through the nervous haze, she added, "The school doesn't have a martial arts program, so my parents gave me the option to stay here and continue with Muay Thai."

"Cool. What time do you leave for the airport tomorrow?" Ethan inquired innocently. Lily balked and wondered if she could convince him of a false story about picking them up.

"Uh, they actually will be coming in by train." Lily couldn't do it. So, she opted for the truth, "My father and I will be leaving our house around four."

"Woah, how long is their train ride?" Ethan became very intrigued. Lily shifted to hide her sudden discomfort.

"Y'know, I've never actually asked." Lily replied. She looked to the clock on the wall and read the time, "Looks like I need to head home. Mum was complaining about me missing dinner."

"Oh, you leaving now, Lils?" Joy called from her perch on the floor by Danny's feet. Lily hated that her friend had taken a liking to the older boy. She hated his attitude and personality.

"Yes. I've got to head home. I need to turn in early tonight. James and Al come home tomorrow and I need to go to the gym early to hit some punching bags." Lily replied as she stepped over Byron's protruding legs.

"Tell them I say welcome home! I'll see you in a week or two." Joy knew that Lily usually spent the majority of her time with James and Albus when they were home. Lily waved to her friend as she snatched her bag off the floor.

"Lily, wait!" Ethan called as he leapt over Byron's legs also. He hurried over to Lily who was putting her shoes on, "Why won't we see you for a few weeks?"

"My brothers and I spend most of our time together. They always take me to the gym. Then we do family stuff together with my parents. We just spend a lot of time together." Lily responded as she slipped her arms into her jacket sleeves.

"Oh, alright then. See you when you are done." Lily smiled and opened the door. With a final wave, she left the house.

The April ground was soggy. It squelched under her trainers and water pooled around the rubber soles. But it made Lily happy. Night walking was more comfortable and the threat of frostbite to her fingers vanished. It helped that the sky wasn't so dark too. The street lights weren't as harsh on her eyes and the transition from blinding light to complete darkness wasn't so bad. Lily was always able to see.

And hear.

Lily heard the distinct sounds of someone getting their face beat in. Someone was whimpering in pain and another was laughing darkly. The grunts sounded painful and it pulled on Lily's chest. She sighed as she started jogging across the street to the alley with the awful sounds were coming from. As she neared the entrance, she slowed her steps and crept along a wall. The sound of flesh on flesh grew louder and then Lily came upon the source of the racket.

She peeked around a corner and saw two bigger boys hitting a much smaller boy. Blood was already pouring from the poor sod's nose and one of his eyes was swollen shut. There was a cut on the boy's cheek and Lily could see flecks of blood on the attacker's knuckles and shoes. The sight before her angered Lily.

"Oy! Knock it off!" Lily called down the alley as she stepped around the corner. Two familiar faces snapped up to see who was yelling.

"The acrobat!" the boy with the blade from February recognized Lily.

"Let him run home and lick his wounds." Lily ignored the name and called out with a steadier voice than she felt like she aught to have.

With the two bigger kids distracted, the younger boy gathered his bloody form to a sitting position. The two from two months before, started advancing towards her. Lily watched their slow advance with wide eyes. But her fierce blood made her lift her chin in defience. She would not show fear. James once told her that if she had been able to go to Hogwarts, Lily would be a textbook Gryffindor. At this moment, Lily realized that he was right.

"You run with Danny's crew, righ'?" the leader inquired. Lily shifted her backpack to rest more evenly on her shoulders. Her mind was racing for a way out.

"I don't 'run' with Danny's crew. I accompany my friend with her stupid friends." Lily replied with a biting tone. And then the solution hit her.

Lily had asked Ginny if Joy would be allowed to come over once when she was eight. Her mother explained that their house was impervious to muggles and that Joy would never be able to see their front steps. Lily felt dejected about the information, but understood. There was a lot of the war that her parents hadn't explained and it only made sense that they didn't want muggles to find the property. According to her father, the owners before Uncle Sirius didn't want anything to do with muggles. Her parents never changed the wards because they came into play when the reporters tried to score interviews with the Potters.

"You are always seen with him, so you must run with him." the leader reasoned. Lily looked past the two imposing figures and saw the other boy sway to his feet. After he steadied himself, Lily brought her attention to the two goons in front of her. They had stopped walking about arms length away.

"I assure you, I am only there for my friend." Lily took a deep breathe and let it out slowly, "You might want to run. Because I am about to." and the boy took off, not needing to be told twice to run.

The two goons turned to see their prey sprinting away and then turned back to see that Lily had left as well. As Lily sprinted down the alleyway, she could hear curses being shouted and threats chasing her.

Once she reached the main street, Lily's trainers slid over the concrete. Catching herself with a hand on the sidewalk, she turned her body towards her house and continued running. The only sound that she could hear was her own labored breathing and pounding footsteps. But she continued on. She knew that if she stopped she could potentionally find herself in a really bad spot and she didn't want to ruin her chances for seeing her brothers tomorrow.

When she came to the vicinity of her house, Lily crossed the street and passed the wards. She came to a stop and looked over her shoulder. The two older boys were looking up and down the street, trying to locate the small red head. This just proved that the wards around her house were powerful. She could stand in the front yard and not be seen by bullies. Lily felt like she cheated a little, but quickly squashed that feeling.

The petite red head turned her eyes away from the sight and entered her house.


	19. Defending with Edward Remus Lupin

_**A/N: Ah ha! I finally organized myself and got my thoughts down in writing. You have no idea how long it took to finally come up with this. Hours. I would write some and then lose my train of thoughts. Then I would write some and wouldn't like it. It was awful! But, I pulled myself together and got it done! Thank you all for all the lovely reviews. I had some people not logged on, but I did want to address some issues.**_

_**Mister/Missus Guest on June 3rd - I am sorry that chapter 8 was confusing. Lily and Lucy refer to each other as Favorite Cousin in their letters. So, the letters that were addressed to Favorite Cousin from Favorite Cousin was Lily and Lucy communicating. I hope that that clears those up for you.**_

_**TOmboy, MHJG and Bill Fish - Thank you for your lovely reviews! I am glad that you three are enjoying my little story. Hopefully I don't disappoint you!**_

_**Happy reading!**_

_**Henny, that lucky Penny!**_

* * *

**Defending with Edward Remus Lupin**

A tiny red head could be seen bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her bespectacled father watched her with an amused smile on his pale face. His emerald green eyes twinkled with affection. His impatient daughter was barely waiting for her brothers to get off the train.

"Dad, do you see them yet?" Lily asked her voice straining as she stretched her neck as long as she could. Harry chuckled at her behavior.

"Settle, flower." he murmured under his breathe. A gentle hand smoothed down the petite red head's hair and soothed her nervous movements.

"Fine. I'll try to contain my nervous energy." she muttered as the calming hand began its magic. Even her feet had stopped bouncing and resorted to rocking gently.

"That's my flower." and the two stood patiently, waiting for the two dark haired boys to depart the train.

Five minutes later, and Lily's ears picked up the distinct tones of James as he was regaling an adventure after curfew.

"Jamie!" Lily shouted over the general hum of Platform Nine and three quarters.

"Firecracker?! Is that you?" James responded, "I can't see! It is all dark and it smells strangely like Albus in here. Where are we?" Lily giggled behind her hand.

"Oh, come off it, James!" Albus shoved his brother as he began walking with his arms held in front of him and his eyes closed. Harry's shoulder shook with deep chuckles.

"Jamie!" Lily exclaimed through her fit of giggles. She broke from her father's side and wrapped her arms around James as he blinked his eyes open.

"Firecracker! It is you!" he said with pride tickling his tone in finding his sister through his made up blindness.

Lily detached her person from her brother and faced Albus. Her grin was wide and her eyes were sparkling with happiness. She had her brothers back! Even if it was just for two weeks, she had her partners in crime; her left and right arms. A slow smile spread Albus' features and Lily jumped into his arms with a laugh of pure happiness. Albus chuckled into her loose hair.

"Albie! You're home!" she squealed in delight. Albus just squeezed her tighter for a second before releasing her.

"Of course. Couldn't stay away from you, now could I?" the chestnut haired boy teased her, "I would be getting howlers everyday if I hadn't come home."

"I'm glad that you know me so well so I wouldn't have to explain myself." Lily replied as the trio followed their father to the car, "It just makes it easier for myself." and her comment was met with laughter from the three Potter men.

* * *

Harry entered the house with three of his children trailing him and was met with canary yellow hair and emerald green eyes, much like his own. An easy smile graced Harry's features before his view of his godson was blocked by flaming locks of his daughter.

"Teddy!" her excitement brought the Metamorphmagus joy to his chest. He barked a laugh as he hoisted Lily onto his hip.

"Well, haven't you gotten bigger!" Teddy Lupin said in way of greeting. Lily just giggled. She had all of her brothers! All of them!

"It has almost been a year! Of course I have gotten bigger." Lily replied as the yellow haired Hit Wizard gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I wanted to take you kids out to Diagon Alley. I heard that someone is low on ink and quills. And another someone lost a Quidditch glove." the emerald orbs trained on the two culprits and they looked sheepish. Teddy rolled his eyes.

"I don't need anything from Diagon Alley." Lily said dejectedly. Teddy looked at her and flashed a bright smile.

"You, my lady, are in need of some ice cream." he responded mischievously. Lily grinned and nodded her head. Teddy just laughed and kissed her cheek again.

"Dinner is at seven thirty, Teddy. Do try to have them back by then." Ginny requested from the doorway to the kitchen. Teddy turned towards his mother with Lily still on his hip.

"I promise, Aunt Ginny. I just miss the little blighters." Teddy received a sharp slap to his chest from the fiery red head in his arms.

"I'm not annoying!" she cried indignantly. Everyone present just laughed at the petite girl's outburst.

* * *

"Teddy, do you want the rest of my ice cream?" Lily asked around a mouth of icy creaminess. It was chocolate flavor and Teddy just couldn't resist the temptation. He pulled her bowl of half eaten ice cream and started to scoop out spoonfuls.

"Are we getting ink and quills or Quidditch gear first?" Albus asked after he licked the last of his cold treat from his spoon. The Metamorphmagus looked at the younger wizard imploringly while he sucked on his spoon.

"I actually only brought you out for ice cream. Then I was going to tell Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry that we lost track of time and the shops all closed before we could get to them and then take you out again tomorrow and get some lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. We would even talk to Mister and Missus Longbottom for a while."

"Uncle Neville?!" Lily instantly perked up, "I haven't seen Uncle Neville in ages! It isn't fair that you lot had him for Herbology and saw him while every week." Lily pouted and Teddy just chuckled as he mussed her hair.

"He always asked about you, you silly girl." Teddy teased, "He loved receiving letters from you, even if he never had the time to write back."

"Y'know, I never thought about it, but our family owl has to deliver so many purple envelopes that he must be sick of the color purple." James said as he scooped the last bit of his sundae out.

"It must be aggravating to keep all those letters in his talons for such a long time." Albus commented.

"The poor dear." James said solemnly. Teddy resisted the urge to chuckle at the playful banter.

"Hey! That is enough out of you two." Lily scolded them. An amused looked passed between all three of the brothers, "Don't encourage them, Teddy." Lily turned her temper onto the Lupin boy.

"I would never, Lily pad." the Hit Wizard replied affectionately before kissed her temple. The fire in her eyes died immediately and Teddy smirked at the younger wizards.

A sudden flash of bright light and the sound of a shutter broke the bubble of love between the siblings. Lily turned into the side of Teddy and the Hit Wizard had his hand over his wand while laying a protective arm across Lily's shoulders. Albus and James both stiffened and snapped their heads to the offending noise. A reporter and a photographer were both standing two tables away and the reporter was scratching a quill furiously against a piece of parchment.

"Excellent! What else can you tell us about how your family functions with a squib in the household? Edward Lupin, do you always refer to the small girl as 'Lily pad'?" the reporter inquired as his cameraman prepared his camera for another picture.

"Albus, James, let's go." Teddy ignored the two bothersome wizards and gathered Lily under his robes and pushed from the table. Lily shrank into him even more, "I thought you didn't allow reporters in here!" Teddy called to the owner. The owner look flabbergasted.

"I-I'm sorry, Mister Lupin." he stammered.

"Go James!" Teddy ordered sternly as James looked ready to brandish his wand in defense of his sister.

"Misters James and Albus Potter! Are you ever embarrassed by your sister's disability?" the relentless reporter kept questioning. The tips of Albus' ears shaded to red as his temper rose.

"Ignore him, Albus." Teddy ordered over his shoulder. Albus graced the reporter with the most heated glare he could muster and turned on his heel, grasping the back of James' shirt to pull him along.

"Mister Lupin, does she cause you any grief by not being able to use magic?" the reporter seemed to be ignoring Teddy's words as much as Teddy was ignoring his. A flash came from behind the siblings as another picture was taken.

"We are going to Uncle George's." Teddy stated as he tightly held Lily to his side. He could hear her sniffling under his robes as he stalked down the street towards his uncle's shop. Albus and James trailed after the two. And, unfortunately, the reporter.

"Do you know why your mother and father never placed your sister in an orphanage for squibs?"

"Teddy, no!" Lily shouted as she felt her oldest brother break away from her and turn to face the offensive man.

"Because, unlike you, they are not monsters." Teddy growled.

"Does this aggressive behavior come from having a werewolf for a father?" the awful man turned his attention to the Metamorphmagus.

Big mistake.

In the blink of an eye, Teddy had drawn his wand only for it to be ripped from his grasp. Lily stood in front of him, her little chest rising and falling in rapid succession, her hazel eyes glinting dangerously while her cheeks were painted pink from anger.

"First and foremost, you will not talk to any of my brothers that way." Lily began as she stuffed Teddy's wand into her jeans pocket, "Second, you will not talk about any of my family members like that again. Because Uncle Remus was an amazing person where you are a horrible human being. He showed more courage in one day than you ever did in your whole life."

"And how would you know, young missy?" the reporter sneered.

"Because here you are hounding children for answers and asking ridiculous questions while hiding behind a quill and parchment. My family has done enough for this world and the muggle world to be afforded the opportunity to be left in peace when they go out for some ice cream. You, sir, are a terrible example of a wizard. I have a whole household full of examples of wizard worth their weight in gold. Most of them are even just school boys." Lily flipped her hair over her shoulder, "Now, be on your way and not the way that we are traveling. If I even catch the stench of you, I will be forced to use evasive measures against your person because I feel threatened. And then the cover story for The Quibbler' will read as follows, 'Potter Girl Had to Defend Brothers Against Threatening Reporter'. Have a good day, sir." and Lily turned on her heel towards Weasley Wizard Wheezes.

Albus and James smirked at their sister as she passed them. Teddy smiled fondly at the petite and threw an arm around her shoulders to lead her. He quietly slipped his wand from her pocket and slid it into his wand holster at his hip. One last glance at the reporter, who looked thoroughly admonished, and he led his siblings towards the joke shop.

It really pays to always let Lily boss him around. She would defend him in any situation and still share her chocolate with him so long as he just did as he was told.


End file.
